The Best Man
by NeonDomino
Summary: Whilst attending Peter's engagement party, Sirius meets Remus Lupin and it's love at first sight. The only problem is that Remus is Peter's fiancé, and Sirius is supposed to be best man at the wedding in a couple of weeks. Can Sirius control his feelings for the shy Werewolf? RL/SB
1. Chapter 1

**This story is based loosely on the movie - The Best Man/Unhitched - starring Seth Green and Amy Smart.**

**Thanks to my beta - Michy Drarry Shipper for agreeing to take this story on.**

**I have other Remus/Sirius stories - This is Love, A Lone Wolf, and Books About Wolves, so check those out.**

**Happy Valentines day everyone. Please, enjoy the story.**

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><p>It was just another boring Friday at work for Sirius, another day where he was sitting at his desk, staring at the clock.<p>

In a way, he was happy, as it meant there wasn't any trouble, which was a nice change from a few weeks before, when the Death Eaters were attacking towns almost daily, but he felt as though he was going crazy, just sitting around, bored. They could let him go home, and send a message if he was needed.

Sirius heard a sound at his window as he was flicking a bit of paper around his desk. He looked over, noticing a barn owl watching him, and got up to let the bird in. The owl landed on a perch on Sirius' desk and Sirius walked over, and untied the letter from the bird's leg.

He put the letter down on his desk, and pulled a tub out of a drawer, opening it and giving one to the bird. The owl hooted, happily, took the treat, and flew away again. Once the owl was out of sight, he drew his attention to the gold lined envelope on his desk.

After a minute of looking at it, he sighed and picked it up. He opened it carefully, as James came into the office.

"What have you got there?" James asked, pulling his own desk chair over to the other side of Sirius' and flopping down in it. He propped his feet up on Sirius' desk, and eyed up the envelope that Sirius was holding with curiosity.

Sirius shrugged, and pulled out the card and a letter. He tossed the envelope and letter onto the desk and read the large letters across the top of the card.

_'Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin Would like to invite you to join them to celebrate their marriage.'_

He glanced up at James, who raised his eyebrows in a silent question, and threw the card onto the desk between them.

"Wedding invitation," he said, as James took his legs off the desk, and leaned forward, picking up the card.

"Your mate Pettigrew actually found someone who'd marry him?" James sneered, throwing the invitation back onto the desk.

"He's not that bad," Sirius said, half-heartedly, as he picked the invite back up, and checked the date written on it. "Two weeks, he's not wasting any time... But Remus Lupin, that's a bloke's name. I knew Peter liked men, but I was so sure he'd end up with a girl, he seemed to prefer tall, leggy blondes."

"Not that he could pull a tall, leggy blonde," James said, a cruel smile on his face, "only the ugly ones. Hey, I bet this guy is worse looking than Peter," James laughed.

Sirius tried to hold back a smile, as he picked up the letter that came with the card. "I admit Petey isn't the best looking guy, but he's still my friend, so be nice, will you?"

_'Sirius,_

_I know the invite will come as a shock, but what can I say? I met Remus and knew within days that I would have to marry him._

_It's been a long time since we've spoken, but I still consider you one of my closest and dearest friends, and would like you to be at my wedding, and what's more, I'd like for you to be my best man._

_I know two weeks isn't a long time, but I'm holding an Engagement party at my home tonight, and would love for you to attend._

_I'll hopefully see you tonight._

_Peter.'_

Sirius passed the letter to James, and watched as he read it.

James sat in silence for a minute.

"Can I come?" He asked, and Sirius shook his head.

"Why would you want to? You hate Peter, Peter hates you..." Sirius said, a frown on his face.

"Well, I can be nice. Plus, he should get over it."

"You threw up on him, insulted his parents and tried to fight him," Sirius said, a hint of a smile on his lips.

James shrugged. "It sounds worse than it actually was..."

"Plus, me and you had a falling out and we stopped talking for two years."

"Fine, I won't come," James said, standing up to leave the office.

"See you at home?" he said, and Sirius nodded.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Glad a lot of you seemed to enjoy the first chapter. Hope you all like this. Let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer - I own nothing.**

**Thanks to my Beta - Michy Drarry Shipper (who is brilliant)**

**There are two stories I am currently enjoying - They are both WolfStar, so please go and check them out.**

**Atticted - by Beatlebug and I Promise, I'll Save You by LornaTheLoop. Go take a look!**

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><p>That evening, Sirius found himself standing outside Peter's flat. He wasn't stupid enough to think he was alone, because James never gave up that easily. Plus, the suspicious space next to him that kept bumping into him was a bit of a giveaway. It was like James actually wanted people to know there was someone hiding under an invisibility cloak... either that or he still hadn't worked out how to sneak around properly.<p>

He knew James wouldn't have fun, and would most likely leave after a few minutes, and he was not wrong. The little voice whispering to him had stopped less than half an hour after arriving, and he had seen the door open and close of its own accord.

Five minutes later, he got a text.

'That party is so boring! You were right, I shouldn't have gone. I'm at home now and ordering pizza. Don't die of boredom.'

An hour later, Sirius was holding back the yawns. He had walked around and had the most boring conversations of his life with a bunch of people who he didn't give a crap about, all Peter's friends, and he was contemplating how much longer he would have to stay before he could get out of there.

He grabbed himself a glass of champagne from a tray, headed out onto the small balcony, and leaned over it, taking in the view of the city, as he slowly drunk the champagne.

He heard the door shut as someone else came out. He turned around and his eyes met some beautiful amber eyes, as a man with dark blonde hair walked over to him. He felt his heart skip a beat at the sight, and a shiver ran up his body.

"I guess I wasn't the only one trying to escape," the man said, and Sirius laughed.

"Was I that obvious?"

"I think only to me, everyone else thinks their stories are very entertaining, and in fact, I was looking for an escape too. So you're the best man?"

Sirius nodded. "I guess so, although to be honest, I'm quite surprised to be. Me and Petey drifted apart a bit, but I feel quite honoured to be asked."

"Yeah, Peter's got a few good friends at this party, so I've heard, who were surprised too. I must admit, I was quite curious to meet you."

Sirius grinned. "That's Peter. He's an alright guy, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure I'm the right friend for the job. I wouldn't know what to say, I'd probably panic, get drunk, and end up trying to shag the other groom's best man, or brother or something," Sirius said, winking at the man in front of him.

The other man laughed. "Well, I'll just warn you, the other best man is actually going to be a woman, and the other groom doesn't have a brother."

Sirius shrugged. "I was just kidding, I'm not into casual shags... that's not my sort of thing. So how do you know Peter, or are you a friend of his fiancé?"

"Well, actually, I am his fiancé. Nice to meet you, I'm Remus Lupin," he said, holding his hand out, to shake Sirius'.

Fuck.

Sirius stared at him in shock.

"You're kidding me?" he said, and Remus shook his head.

"Nope, not kidding," he replied softly, his smile dropping, as he lowered his hand.

"No, I don't mean anything bad," Sirius hurried to explain, "Just shocked. You're really not what I expected, Peter's done good for himself."

He looked Remus over again, and reached out and shook Remus' hand, his skin tingling when he let go.

Remus' face lit up with a smile again.

"Glad _one_ of his friends thinks that," he said, and Sirius noticed a slight emphasis on the word 'one'.

Sirius frowned. "Why? Don't the others like you?"

Remus shrugged. "I get the impression they think Peter could do better. Not many people are as accepting of my condition, after all."

"Condition?" Sirius asked curiously. "Oh, you don't have to tell me, I don't mean to pry," he added, quickly.

Remus frowned for a moment. "Peter didn't tell you?" he asked and Sirius shook his head, looking curious. "No, that's okay, people find out sooner or later. I suffer from Lycanthropy."

Sirius' eyes went wide, and he stared at Remus for a minute.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," Remus said, awkwardly, putting his hands in his pockets and turning to go inside.

"Wait, Remus?" Sirius said, and the man stopped. "I wasn't trying to be rude, and I'm sorry if it came across that way, I was just surprised, you don't look how I expected."

"And what were you expecting?" Remus asked, sounding curious.

"I don't know, to be honest... my parents told me stories, and I know the stories are all crap, but I've never met a werewolf before and really didn't know what to expect, I guess."

"Does it bother you?" Remus asked, sounding nervous, and Sirius shook his head. "Nah, you seem pretty normal to me, you haven't tried to kill me and you don't look like someone who's going to steal people's babies, so I think we're good."

Remus chuckled. "Not all werewolves abide by the stories you heard," he said.

"I doubt any of them do, considering the ones my parents used to tell me."

"They weren't fans, I take it?"

Sirius shook his head. "Sirius Black," he said. "Son of Walburga and Orion Black, disowned, disgraced heir and embarrassment to the Black name."

Remus tensed up, and slight panic was written on his face.

"Don't worry, I've never held the same beliefs as them. When I was a child, I didn't know any better, as my parents tried to poison my mind, but the moment I stepped onto that train and found myself in a compartment with James Potter, and then got placed in Gryffindor, when the rest of my family were Slytherins, I realised that my parents were so full of crap, and realised I didn't have to be like them, and could make up my own mind about everything."

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I do have a point somewhere in what I'm saying... I'm just trying to say that although I share their blood, and their name, I'm not like my family. I prefer to base my opinion of you on who you are right now, not what you become once a month, and you seem like a really nice guy, and if you make my riend happy, then that's what's important here... So please don't make a snap judgement on me because of my name alone. I'm not one of them."

Remus looked relieved, the tension gone from his body. "Well, I don't care if you're a Black. I have met some of them, unfortunately. They don't seem to be the nicest company. I guess we both have a reason for people to look at us the wrong way, but you seem like a decent guy, probably the most enjoyable to talk to at this party without a doubt."

Sirius let out a laugh. "Try living with them... when your parents would give you a smack for talking back, we'd get tortured."

The grin stayed on Sirius' face, but his eyes gave something away to Remus, something that told him that Sirius was telling the truth. "Same goes to you, you're the only interesting person here. I'm glad to have met you."

Remus grinned. "Thanks Sirius, it's nice to meet you too," Remus said, his soft voice causing shivers through Sirius' body.

Sirius looked at him in a daze for a moment. How in the hell was this fascinating man marrying Peter of all people? He gave himself a mental shake and grinned at Remus.

"Maybe we should head back inside, I'm going to be heading off soon..." Sirius hesitated, not wanting to leave Remus' company. "Or we could stay out here and chat a bit more?" he asked, hoping that Remus wanted to stay outside and talk to him.

"Let's stay out here, I mean, I should get to know the best man better, right?" Remus grinned, and Sirius pushed away the inappropriate thoughts that raced through his mind, as Remus mentally cringed at his own words.

Trust him to fancy his fiancé's best man. The moment their eyes had met, Remus was lost. Here was the perfect man, the long black hair, tied behind his neck, the high aristocratic cheekbones, the full lips, the warm grey eyes, and the most amazing smile, but it wasn't about how the man looked, there was more to him that demanded Remus' attention. Sirius hadn't cared about Remus' condition, for a start, and Remus felt comfortable chatting with him, something that worked both ways, it seemed. There was just something about Sirius Black that sent shivers through his body, and it wasn't just the way the other man was looking at him.

**...~oOo~...**

They stood on the balcony and chatted for over an hour, before Sirius asked felt brave enough to ask for Remus' phone number.

"You do use mobiles, right?"

"Yeah, it's quicker than an owl," Remus replied.

"Well, I don't mind helping if you need anything done for the wedding, so feel free to let me know..." Sirius said, feeling a bit shy. "Just pass your phone, I'll stick my number in?" He tried to tell himself it wasn't like asking someone out, as he was only offering to help Remus on planning his wedding.

Remus nodded, and took out his phone, and watched as Sirius handed his own phone over, for Remus to store his number in too. Once the numbers had been exchanged, Sirius looked at the doors, as Remus resisted the urge to check to see if Sirius had really put his number in Remus' phone.

"Crazy looking redhead a friend of yours?" he asked, and Remus let out a laugh as he glanced at the door and spotted an angry-looking Lily.

He went to open the door, but it was locked and Sirius' eyes flashed in remembrance.

"Oh right, there was some old boring person starting to head towards us, so I locked the door and stuck up a silencing charm so we wouldn't hear him knocking. I got the impression you'd be too kind and allow him to join us."

Remus tried to look disapproving, but he felt his lips twitch. "You just wanted to be alone with me," he said jokingly.

"Well, do you blame me?" Came the husky reply, and Remus' eyes shot to Sirius' in surprise.

He smiled shyly, and went to answer, but there was banging on the door and his eyes shot to Lily, who had removed the silencing charm, but failed to unlock the door.

Sirius waved his hand, and the doors unlocked and she threw them open.

"I've been looking for you for an hour, Remus. A whole fucking hour. Do you know how fucking dull these people are?"

The people closest to the door looked at her, shocked.

"I've had to stand talking to your parents, at least they have something interesting to say, and they have each other to talk to at least. They must be the only interesting people here, I swear. I even had to talk to Peter," she spat his name out as though it was something disgusting.

"Well, my parents practically raised you," Remus pointed out.

"Yes, but then I see you out here, clearly having a fascinating conversation with a stranger, swapping numbers and all sorts, whilst I'm stuck with arrogant, boring, pretentious pricks."

Sirius started laughing, as the guests near the door looked appalled at Lily's words. She didn't seem to care in the slightest, and Remus turned back to look at him.

"Sirius Black, this is Lily Evans, whom I'm having in place of a best man. Lily, this is Peter's best man."

"Nice to meet you," Sirius said to the frowning redhead.

"Sirius Black? Any relation to Bellatrix Black?"

"Yeah, she's my cousin."

"She's a nasty little bitch, did you know that? She tried to hex my hair off," Lily complained. "Well, at least I hope it was my hair."

"Oh, umm yeah, she's completely insane, I'd stay away from her if I were you. It runs in the family actually, my parents are both insane."

"Are you insane?" Lily asked.

"Most probably," Sirius admitted, "but I don't believe in incest or torturing people for fun, so I'm probably the most sane person to come out of that family."

"Incest?" Lily said, looking disgusted.

"Yeah, surely you know that the Blacks tend to mostly marry other Blacks, keep the bloodline pure and all that bullshit?"

"What, so you have to marry one of your cousins or something?"

"Well, I was supposed to marry Narcissa, but I refused, and decided to tell my mum that if I was forced to provide an heir, I was going to knock up a muggleborn witch so the next Black heir wouldn't be pureblood. Then after a bit of torture, I got disowned and kicked out, so win-win."

"You clearly are insane," Lily said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Why? For not marrying my cousin?"

"No, for saying that to that crazy bitch of a mother of yours."

"You know what, Lily? I really like you," Sirius said with a grin.

Lily smiled. "You're not so bad... for a Black. Have you knocked up a muggleborn witch yet?"

"No, I'm gay," he said, winking at her.

Lily started laughing.

"And you failed to mention that to your parents?"

"Oh, they knew, thought I should marry my cousin anyway, as long as I provided an heir with a pureblood witch of their choosing, and kept my abnormalities a secret, that is... They didn't take the news that it wasn't going to happen too well."

"No wonder Remus locked you both out here, this is the most interesting conversation I've had with someone who wasn't related to Remus, all night. He should have brought me, Hope and John out and we'd have our own party of interesting people."

"If we'd done that, James might have stayed," Sirius said.

"James?" Lily asked.

"Oh, my friend, he snuck in, and snuck back out. Peter doesn't like him," Sirius said, leaning up against the railings. "Wait, I shouldn't have said that, I didn't invite him or anything, I told him not to come."

Remus nodded. "Well, that's a shame, the more interesting people here, the better."

"It is, he has a thing for red-heads. He might have stayed if he'd met Lily."

"She's cruel to men," Remus said.

Sirius looked at Lily, who nodded.

"Yeah," she admitted, her lips curved up at the sides.

Sirius shrugged. "I doubt he'd mind. In fact, I think he secretly likes it when girls are cruel to him. I don't think he's normal."

A couple appeared behind Lily. "Oh, here you are Remus, we've been looking for you, but got side-tracked by your, ah... delightful guests," the women said, meeting Lily's eyes.

Sirius smirked, he could tell that 'delightful' was the last word the women wanted to use to describe these people.

Lily pushed the door closed, locked it with her wand, and cast a silencing spell, and one to drop the blinds over the doors so no-one could see them.

"You mean those boring..." Lily began.

"Lily..." John said, his eyes flicking to Sirius.

Sirius held his hands up. "Don't mind me, don't know anyone here except Peter and his parents, and can't stand anyone else, not even Pete's parents, well except for Remus and Lily so far... and you both seem pleasant enough so far."

John smiled. "John Lupin, Remus' father."

"Sirius Black, Best Man."

"Black?" John said, his smile dropping slightly.

"Oh, not to worry, I'm not like the rest of them. I'm the disgraced, disowned, gay son they pretend they don't have. I don't hold the same beliefs as the rest of my family, I prefer to think of the Potters as my family instead. I spent all my holidays with the Potters, and moved in with James when I was 19, when my parents threw me out for refusing to marry my cousin."

The Lupins stared at him, unsure what to think.

"I can tell I've freaked you out a little bit, happens more then you realise, but not to worry, Mr and Mrs Lupin, your son's a great guy. I feel like I've made a good friend today, and I don't share their views on werewolves or anything. I'm a firm believer in giving people a chance no matter what, because I'd like everyone to give me a chance without comparing me to the people I was unfortunate to grow up with as my family."

John and Hope visibly relaxed.

"Nice to meet you, Sirius," John said, offering his hand.

"Lovely to meet you too, Mr Lupin, Mrs Lupin," Sirius said, shaking John's hand, and kissing Hope's.

She let out a laugh. "Quite the charmer, aren't you, Sirius?"

"I try my best, Mrs Lupin" he answered, winking at her.

"Oh, call us Hope and John, please," Hope said.

"So, tell us, what do you think of Peter?" John asked.

"Well... Pete's a nice enough guy," Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders, "but like I was telling Remus, I don't know why he asked me..." he trailed off. "I haven't spoken to Peter in over a year, a couple of owls to catch up, but that's it."

"Well, all we want is for Remus to be happy," Hope said, looking at her son, who was openly staring at Sirius.

She hoped he wouldn't start drooling, he wasn't far off that point, but Sirius hadn't seemed to notice.

"Well, hopefully Peter will make him happy," Sirius said, smiling at her, and trying his hardest to sound sincere.

He didn't want Remus to be happy with Peter, he wanted Remus to be happy with him. He smiled at Remus, wondering for the hundredth time how Peter managed to find someone so perfect.

Sirius moved his gaze away, hoping Remus didn't realise that Sirius kept staring at him, and he caught John's eye. John was frowning slightly, but the frown disappeared quickly.

"Well, I could do with a drink," Lily said pulling a bottle of champagne out of her bag, and three glasses. She refilled Sirius' and Remus' glasses, and poured the three for the Lupins and herself. "Let's try forget that this night ever happened, and forget meeting Peter's family and friends... except Sirius, who isn't an arrogant twat like the others..."

"Well, I'd like to point out that I'm still pretty arrogant, so I've been told, repeatedly, but I'd rather not forget this night, it's been really enjoyable, actually," Sirius said, his eyes flicking to Remus for a second, and he smiled before he looked back at Lily. "So, do you carry alcohol around just in case you need to get drunk in an emergency?"

Lily scoffed. "Of course not, it's the good stuff, I was planning on taking it home with me, then when I saw you both out here, I grabbed three glasses. I didn't know you both already had drinks, and then I stood at the door waving for about five minutes, but you were too busy eye-fucking to even notice me.

Sirius blushed, as Remus choked on the champagne he had been sipping on.

"No, we weren't, I mean, Remus, he's getting married to my friend and I... I wouldn't check out my friend's fiancé," Sirius said, defensively, and glaring at Lily who was giving him a knowing look. "I wouldn't do that to a friend."

"Sirius is right, we were just chatting about stuff, the wedding and stuff," Remus stuttered.

Hope looked between the men, and raised her eyebrows at Lily, who smirked back.

"Well, I should get going, I was going to leave earlier," Sirius said, looking around the group, his gaze flicking to Remus more than it should. "It was great to meet you all."

He walked to the door of the balcony and turned around. "Remus, if you need any wedding planning help, let me know," he said, before unlocking the door and walking to the front door. As he reached it, he looked back and gave a wave.

Remus stared after him, and Peter appeared in the doorway. "Here you all are. Aren't you cold out here?"

Remus shook his head absently, his gaze still on the front door that Sirius had left through.

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><p><strong>Review please :)<strong>

**Let me know what you think :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, is following or has favourited this story, and to everyone who is following or has favourited me.**

**I know you're all wondering how Peter ended up with someone as perfect and amazing as Remus. We'll put that down to Remus' insecurities over his Lycanthropy. We all know Remus has self-esteem issues.**

**Don't worry, there will be NO smut between Peter and Remus (I promise!). I really am not planning on writing that, so don't worry.**

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><p>Sirius slammed the door as he entered his and James' flat. James was sitting in his boxers, eating pizza in front of the TV.<p>

"You were gone a while?" James asked, walking to his room and coming out in some pyjama bottoms.

Sirius nodded and James stared at him.

"Why? I must admit, I'm curious what happened at that funeral of a party that made you stay there for a few hours?"

"It wasn't that dull..." Sirius said, and took in the look on James' face.

"Fine, it was, and I went to hide on the balcony to avoid Pete's stuck up parents, and the rest of the tossers, and some guy comes out," Sirius said, throwing himself onto the sofa, which gave a squeak of protest.

"Some guy?" James asked, dropping into the old armchair.

"Some hot looking guy, about my age, a bit taller, dark blonde hair, amazing amber eyes, and a mouth that I can picture doing bad things..."

"Focus," James said, sounding bored.

"Right, so fucking extremely hot guy, comes out and we start chatting, and I liked him, I really fucking wanted him, was thinking of asking for his number and was even considering asking if he wanted to ditch the party and go for dinner or drinks or something..."

"But?"

"He introduced himself. It was Peter's fiancé."

"What?" James said, in horror, suddenly more interested in the story. "Are you telling me Peter's fiancé is good-looking?"

"Yes," Sirius confirmed, "very good-looking."

"Shit, I didn't see that one coming," James said in shock.

There was a long pause whilst James sat in shock and Sirius contemplated his feelings.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Sirius asked, breaking the silence.

James hesitated for a few minutes, before he worked out what to say. "No... and unless you plan to steal your friend's fiancé, you shouldn't either."

"Bollocks," Sirius muttered, as James stood up and left the room, trying to work out what was the right thing to do.

Sirius decided to help himself to the pizza on the table.

...oOo...

Half a pizza later, James came back into the room with some parchment and a quill.

Sirius stared at him. "What are those for?"

"Brainstorming," James said, as though Sirius was stupid.

At Sirius' blank look, he sighed again.

"Brainstorming on how to break up Peter and his fiancé," James clarified.

Sirius shook his head. "I won't do that to a friend," he said, taking the parchment from James, crumpling it up and throwing it in the bin, before standing and walking towards his room.

"Love at first sight?" James called after him.

"Peter's my friend."

"Peter deserves it, he's a twat," James shouted, as Sirius closed his bedroom door.

Sirius sat on the edge of his bed, and put his head in his hands. How could he do this? After only a few hours in Remus' company, he was mad about the guy. There was a part of his head telling him the same thing James was saying – to go for it, go after Remus anyway, but the main part was telling him that Peter was his friend.

He couldn't do that to his friend, he couldn't have feelings for his friend's fiancé. He wouldn't allow himself to.

He would ignore the fluttery feeling in his stomach when Remus crossed his thoughts, he would ignore the memory of heat on his skin when Remus shook his hand, and he would forget how easy and comfortable things were when they were talking on the balcony.

He would be a good and loyal friend to Peter, the same way Peter would be to him.

He repeated these things over and over in his head.

An hour after storming off to his bedroom, he heard an owl at the window, and for the second time that day, he stared at the envelope in his hands and opened up an invitation.

As he read the message from John Lupin, asking him to come for dinner the next day, and to ask for help with planning Remus' stag party, he smiled.

There was no way in hell he was going to miss the chance to see Remus again so soon.

All thoughts about forgetting his new feelings for Remus disappeared from his head in an instant.

He pulled out some of his best quality parchment, and wrote a polite message to John Lupin, accepting the invite, before attaching it to the owl. He watched the owl fly away and once it was out of view, he left the room, bringing the letter from the Lupins with him.

James was splayed across the sofa, munching on the leftover pizza, and Sirius dropped the letter on James' lap.

James picked it up and read it, and as his eyes moved across the words, a grin spread across his face.

"So his parents seem to like you?" James said, folding the parchment back up and putting it on the table, and Sirius nodded.

"Yeah, I already sent a letter back, but I've never met anyone's parents before, and it's different going to dinner than bumping into them and chatting for a few minutes at a party."

James started laughing and Sirius looked at him. "What's so funny?"

"First of all, you met the Lupins last night, and clearly made a good impression so you shouldn't be so worried, and second, Remus isn't your boyfriend, you've been quite clear on the fact, so that would make you just friends, right? As for friends – you've met my parents, you've met Peter's... you've met friends parents before."

"Yeah, but I haven't wanted to shag you or Peter."

"I don't think anyone wants to shag Peter," James mumbled.

"Except Remus," Sirius said, a frown on his face. The thought of Peter even kissing Remus made his stomach turn. Not because of Peter's looks or anything – well, partly because of them – but more because he wanted himself to be the one to touch Remus, and kiss him, and shag him.

James screwed up his face. "Don't give me mental images of Peter naked, of all people."

Sirius had the fleeting thought cross his mind and he cringed slightly.

"So can I come?" James asked, gesturing to the letter.

"Why?" Sirius replied.

"I want to see what the fuss is about this Remus guy. I mean, when have you ever uttered the word love before, except to say it would never happen to you?"

Sirius shrugged. "Things change... besides, the invite was just to me, and I don't know them well enough to ask if I can bring you... but if I'm helping organising the stag do, then I'll mention that you're good at organising parties and stuff and maybe get you in that way?"

James nodded. "So I'm going to be bored tomorrow by myself whilst you go off with Remus?"

"That's right. Why don't you do something, go the pub with Frank and Alice, and I'll meet you down there afterwards?"

James shrugged. "You could bring Remus with you?"

Sirius smiled. "We'll see."

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><p><strong>The letter will be explained in the next chapter, I know it seems like it just appeared unexpectedly and out of the blue, but there's a reason behind it - trust me!<strong>

**Reviews please! I love reviews!**

**It only takes a minute to write something. Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, this story isn't all that popular, is it? Can I get some more reviews this chapter, would appreciate it!**

**Well, I enjoy writing it, so I'm going to continue anyways. :)**

**So thought I'd try something new, and give a POV from John Lupin (and a small bit from Hope too). Hopefully it works. Let me know if it doesn't.**

**Thanks to my Beta - MichyDrarryShipper.**

**Just a reminder, there will be NO SMUT INVOLVING PETER. I can't write that, nor do I want to try! I wouldn't subject poor Remus to that, he'd be scarred for life.**

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><p>John Lupin stared at the invitation in his hand for a long time, before attaching it to the owl and sending it off. He hoped that he was doing the right thing for his son, but he couldn't allow Remus to make the biggest mistake of his life.<p>

John felt that everything that had happened in Remus' life had been a result of John's actions. One badly place outburst had almost cost his sons' life, and everything Remus had had to endure from that point on – jobs, relationships... or lack thereof – had all been because of him. Had he not antagonized Greyback, Remus would be living a normal life.

From the moment that his eyes had fallen on the bite mark proving that this small, innocent boy had been infected, he had realised that his views on Werewolves were wrong, because this was his son. This was Remus, and Remus wasn't a monster, so his views changed. The only monsters were the men who chose to be Werewolves, not the ones who were the victims like his son.

Remus was nothing like Greyback. How could all Werewolves be considered monsters, when his little boy was laying in the hospital bed, close to death, looking so small, so helpless? One bite didn't make a monster, it was Greyback who chose to be the monster, and his son would never be the monster that Greyback was. He was the same boy he had always been, except that he now had a fear of the dark, the moon, large animals, and sleeping in his room alone.

It took years for Remus to sleep in his own room, without Hope or John there with him, and they would have to ward and magically lock his bedroom window, and all the other windows in the house, before he would allow them to leave the room. The nightmares took years to stop, and from what he knew, Remus still struggled with them sometimes, and John blamed himself every moment of every day.

All John and Hope wanted was to see Remus happy again.

When their son became quiet and withdrawn at the age of seventeen, they made sure to be there if he ever wanted to talk. He wouldn't for a long time, but they were patient and never pushed too hard to find out what was wrong, knowing that he would come to them when he was ready. They made it clear that they were always there to talk, when he needed them.

Four years later, they found out what had caused his behaviour. On his twenty-first birthday, Remus nervously announced to them that he was gay. He looked at them, his hand tightly clasped with Lily's for support, with so much fear in his eyes, waiting for their rejection. Although they had both imagined Remus settling down with a nice girl (hopefully that girl would have been Lily), with little sandy-haired, green-eyed children running around, this was their son, and he clearly wasn't going to go ahead with the life they had already pictured, so John had reassured his son that he would love him no matter what. John couldn't believe that after everything, Remus would think that his parents would ever hate him.

John and Hope could never hate him. They could have lost their son that day that he was attacked. They would accept anything, because their son was their everything.

So, six months later, when he turned up with Peter, they tried to be as accepting as possible. They knew they would accept anything, because all they wanted was for their son to be happy.

But that was before they met Peter.

John didn't want Peter around, but Remus looked so happy, he was smiling, laughing... he was the man they imagined he'd become before he had gotten bitten, and their hatred for Peter was, for the most part, ignored for the fact that their son was so happy.

It didn't change John's feelings over Peter though. He didn't like him. He saw the way Peter looked at Remus, it definitely wasn't indicative of love. He didn't think that Remus loved Peter either, but it was Remus' first relationship and Remus had told his parents that he cared for Peter. John and Hope had thought that it would fizzle out, as any non-serious relationship would, and Remus would move on and meet someone more suited to him. Someone who would truly love him.

John was relieved that Remus hadn't fallen in love, as he didn't want to pretend to like Peter forever, and he had thought that they wouldn't last much longer.

But then, a week ago, Remus had told them that he was engaged. The relationship had only been going on for about four months.

John and Hope congratulated him with fake smiles, and opened the champagne (not the most expensive one they had, because that was for a happy occasion), and pretended to celebrate. When Lily arrived home, John went out to his shed and broke his hand in frustration by punching the wall over and over, until Lily came out and saw, and healed him. He could see in her eyes that she understood.

Hope wasn't as calm as John, and he had had to go out and buy a new set of plates, since she had somehow managed to accidentally smash each one of them once Remus had gone out. John could have fixed them, but he knew that they would have been a reminder of this day, each time they sat down to dinner and saw the plates.

Needless to say, they hated Peter.

When they looked at Peter, they didn't see someone who loved their son, or even cared that much. In fact, they couldn't see a spark towards Remus at all on Peter's side. The man treated their son like he was some acquaintance off the street, and Remus either didn't know better, or was too happy to even care.

And their son – engaged to marry Peter in a few weeks, a man he didn't even love... But when Lily questioned him, Remus would repeat the same thing.

"I'll fall in love with him, don't worry. I'm lucky to get a guy like him."

John wondered why his son had such a low opinion of himself. Remus was very handsome, but had no confidence. Not everyone cared if he was a werewolf, and surely there were other men out there that would accept Remus?

Lily hated Peter too, and Lily was never wrong about these things. She spent time with them as a couple, something John and Hope hadn't really done much of, and John was surprised to see Peter still standing – he guessed it was because no matter how much Lily hated Peter, she loved Remus more.

Things got worse at the Engagement party, where John was forced to talk to a bunch of people who seemed to look down at his son, and he and Hope decided to stick with talking to Lily. He didn't care if anyone else thought he was rude, but then Lily disappeared and the Pettigrews had come over to talk, and John hadn't liked a word that had come out of their mouths. But before he could reply, Hope had let them know quite clearly that Peter was the lucky one to get Remus, and if their son ever hurt Remus, Hope would make sure that every single member of their family suffered.

The Pettigrews had thought she was joking, and he wanted to slap those phony smiles off both their faces – yes, the first time he'd ever wanted to slap a woman... Hope didn't seem to appreciate the smiles either, so she reminded them that she raised a Werewolf son, and the Lupins weren't people to mess with.

They spotted Peter, who looked like he was going to come and join the mess of a conversation that they were having with his parents, and John knew he couldn't handle talking to another Pettigrew. That's when they had walked away and found Lily and Remus on the balcony, chatting to a handsome man.

John remembered his first thought looking at the pair – this is how someone should be looking at Remus. The man was talking, laughing and couldn't take his eyes off his son. Just the way the dark-haired stranger was looking at his son, and the way Remus was looking back made John felt hopeful again – maybe something could be done after all?

He had hesitated at the man's name though, knowing about that family, and their views on Werewolves.

Sirius _Black_.

But Sirius had defended himself, saying he wasn't like his family, and with the way he looked at Remus, John found himself believing every single word that came out of Sirius' mouth.

Well, except when Sirius had told them that he hoped Peter made Remus happy. That was a blatant lie, and John knew all about lying. He tried to understand why Sirius didn't mean that. Could it be that he didn't want his friend married to a Werewolf? Or was it to do with the way the man was staring, fascinated, at Remus? Maybe he wanted to be the one to make Remus happy? John had smiled to himself. He could deal with that.

There was definitely no faking the chemistry between the couple, but then Lily had had to make a comment about eyefucking. Trust Lily to say that... and Sirius had closed up and rushed off. But it was true, all of them had seen it. Maybe Remus hadn't, but his son was quite naïve when it came to relationships and romantic attention. It hadn't just been Sirius. Remus had been looking back with the same look.

John had never seen his son that fascinated by anyone or anything. The way he had stared at Sirius – he had clearly been besotted with him, and his eyes had never left the man until the front door had closed. Even when Peter had been standing there, Remus had just looked past him.

But Sirius was loyal to his friend, and that was something that John realised would be a problem for his plan, the plan to get Peter out of Remus' life for good. John was damned if he was going to let his son marry anyone from the Pettigrew family. He would say the same about the Black family, but he could see clearly that Sirius was different, and he had met the Potters a few times. They were a good family, and if they had accepted Sirius into theirs, the same way the Lupins had accepted Lily, then he would believe that the man could be different.

John finally remembered the big scandal surrounding the boy when he had been disowned. People at the Ministry talked, and when Sirius Black mentioned that he was mostly brought up by the Potters, John recalled Charlus Potter putting people in their place when anyone tried to badmouth Sirius. Charlus defended Sirius, the same way John himself would defend Lily if anyone said anything bad about her. If Charlus Potter had such a high opinion of him, then there must be good in Sirius.

Plus, he would much rather have someone like Sirius as a son-in-law. At least he wouldn't have to pretend to like the man. Sirius was instantly likeable, naturally charming and very sincere, and Hope was already won over. Not an easy thing to do either, as Hope had been bitter towards strangers over the years. Her family being the most important thing in her life, and her need to protect her son from those that would look down on him, had overshadowed her need for friendships.

They had left an hour before the party was to end. That had given him time to tell Hope and Lily that there was no way in hell that he was going to let his son marry Peter. They watched him pull out the parchment and write Sirius' name on the top.

He hesitated for a minute, unsure what to write.

"Ask him to dinner?" Hope suggested.

"Ask him to help with the stag do?" Lily suggested.

John nodded, and chose to combine the ideas. If they had imagined the sparks that evening, then there would be no harm in issuing the invitation, but if there was something there, they would make sure that Remus could be with someone who made him happy. Hopefully Sirius was that person, because no matter how much he smiled and laughed in Peter's presence, that was nothing compared to the way their son had lit up around Sirius Black.

They had two weeks to get Remus to realise that Peter was wrong for him.

It briefly crossed his mind that he would be ruining Peter and Sirius' friendship, but he reasoned with himself, saying it was for his son, and Sirius would get Remus, which John saw as a much better outcome.

John had already ruined Remus' life by being the reason that Greyback had attacked, he wouldn't allow Remus to ruin his own future. He would do this for his son, give his son one bit of happiness, he owed Remus that and so much more.

**...oOo...**

Hope remembered years ago, before Remus was bitten. She remembered being soft-spoken, a meek women, having fallen in love with the Wizarding world when she found out she was a Witch and with the handsome and charming John Lupin, an older boy in school who managed to notice her, despite her love for the library and her shyness.

A man like John could have had anyone, but he chose her. Quiet, mousy Hope Howell, and he made her feel so special. Everything was perfect. John left school a year ahead of her, and it was awful being without him, and when she left school, he proposed, telling her that the year away from her had made him realise he couldn't be without her any longer.

It was perfect; they had a lovely house and then had a beautiful son, until the day came where he was attacked.

It had shaken their lives, and every single day since, John had blamed himself. When a healer had flinched in the hospital, just because Remus moved unexpectedly, John, her normally strong husband, didn't even notice. He was so distraught over what he felt he had caused, and it was in that moment that Hope had realised something.

She could never be the women she was again. If this was the reaction to a tiny, terrified. five-year old, wrapped in bandages, cuddling a stuffed Phoenix, then how would they react when Remus was older?

She realised right there that Remus would need a strong mother. That was the first time she ever stood up and argued. She confronted the man face on and asked him why he was scared of a five-year old child. She tore into him, bringing every single ounce of anger forward, which wasn't hard, as she remembered the flinch and the look of disgust on his face, over her child – her baby, Remus, and found that the anger came easily.

That was the day she became a new woman.

She spent the years teaching Remus magic, until she was able to send him to private education, which cost a fortune, but she found somewhere that accepted werewolves. She taught him everything she knew, and would spend her free time learning more and more, just to teach her son when he was back with her. She wanted to show him that he wasn't a creature with near human intelligence that the ministry insisted all Werewolves were, and that he was an extremely intelligent boy, and that made the achievement bigger for him. He was determined to prove himself. He grew up with a love of books and a love of learning, being the top student alongside Lily Evans.

The day he invited her home for dinner, John and Hope were ecstatic. They couldn't believe that their shy little Remus had made a friend. She was the only person who wasn't scared of him, a Muggleborn girl called Lily. Hope later found out that her parents were slightly afraid of magic, and Lily felt she wasn't treated the same as her sister. Not neglected, but enough to make Lily feel alienated. Lily began to spend her holidays with the Lupins, and as the years went by, she spent less and less time with her own family.

Lily adapted the same way Hope had, once she found out Remus was a Werewolf. Whenever someone let slip a nasty comment in the street, she was filled with disgust at the way Remus was treated, and Remus, he would just take the words. His gaze would automatically shift to the ground and he'd not speak for a little while. Lily wouldn't take anyone saying a bad word about Remus, or even looking at him wrong. She and Hope were a force to be reckoned with when they were out with Remus together.

Hope only wanted the best for her son, and when he brought Peter home, she knew instantly there was something wrong with him, something bad about him. She didn't know what, but she didn't trust him in the slightest.

So when she met Sirius Black, she knew that Remus could be happy, Sirius looked at Remus the same way John had looked at her the first time they had met. She knew right there and then, that Sirius and Remus would be perfect for each other, because no matter what she and John had faced, nothing could come between them, their love was too strong, and Remus needed that type of love. Someone strong.

John beat her to the idea though. She had been discussing with Lily what they could do for Remus, when John walked in with the parchment.

They had two weeks. Two weeks to get Sirius and Remus to fall in love, or to develop something, something that would overshadow what Remus has with Peter, and to get the wedding called off.

She would help her son be happy if it was the last thing she ever did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to Michy Drarry Shipper - my beta :)**

**I own nothing.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

**Has it really been over a month since I updated this story? I didn't realise it was so long. Sorry about that.**

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><p>"Remus?"<p>

Remus shook his head slightly, and looked back at his fiancé, who was giving him an impatient look.

"Sorry, Peter," he replied.

"You need to get it together. It's our engagement party, and you don't even look that happy to be here," Peter snapped.

Remus frowned slightly.

"I'm… I'm sorry, I –" he muttered.

Peter let out a loud sigh, cutting Remus off. "Look, just at least try to look happy that you're marrying me. You are happy, right?"

"Of course I am," Remus quickly confirmed.

"Good. Just ignore what people are saying," Peter said, throwing an arm around Remus' shoulder, and leading him back to the party.

Remus pulled a smile onto his face, trying to ignore the looks he was getting from most of the guests, trying to ignore the whispers, and the way Peter's arm fell from his shoulders when they walked back into the room.

He also ignored the distance between them as they got closer to the Pettigrews.

The four attempted small talk for a few minutes, and Remus felt his good mood from meeting Sirius fade away. As quick as was polite, he made his excuses, and went in search of his parents and Lily again. He didn't know why he kept letting Peter drag him away from them, as they were the only people there that didn't look down on him.

Well, them and Sirius Black.

**~oOo~**

The next day, Sirius found himself in front of the mirror, trying on new clothes he had bought earlier that day. He hoped he looked appropriate enough to meet Remus' parents. He checked out the fourth outfit he tried on, which was some new black jeans and a white t-shirt, with a light grey jumper over it, that he had bought earlier that day. After a minute of indecision, he pulled his long hair back and tied it at the nape of his neck.

He spotted James leaning in the doorway.

"How does this one look?" He asked, before turning back to his reflection in the mirror.

"Yeah, I think that's the best so far, but like I said before, you're only meeting a friend's parents," James pointed out, amused at Sirius' actions, and Sirius just shrugged.

"I care what my friend's parents think of me," he said defensively, before grabbing his wallet, keys, phone and wand, and shoving them into his pockets. He walked into the living room, and took the chocolates and wine off the side.

"Are the chocolates for Remus?" James smirked, and Sirius frowned at him.

"No, they're for his mum," he muttered, his face flushing red.

"New clothes to impress, chocolates for his mum, and expensive wine," James smirked. "You seem to be going all out for dinner."

"No, I was going to get some new clothes soon anyways," Sirius snapped, "and it's polite to bring a bottle of wine."

"I'm sure Remus will be very impressed," James said, laughing at him. Sirius quickly left the flat, feeling angry that James had pointed out the obvious. It was all true, he wanted the Lupins to like him, and he wanted to impress Remus, and look good for him. But if he admitted it, James would tease him worse.

"Not that anything would ever happen between us," he muttered under his breath.

He walked slowly to the Apparation point, which was an alley a few roads away, and he waited until the street was clear before walking in. He quickly double checked the parchment, and Apparated to the park near the Lupins' house. He was sure there was a closer Apparition point, but he didn't know the other one.

He was running early, so decided to check out the other Apparition point, just in case he ever got invited back, which he hoped he would. After a quick check of the area, he continued to the Lupins' home.

He turned up a few minutes early, and looked around the neighbourhood. It was nice and quiet, a small green sat out front of the houses, and trees lined the road. Sirius liked the look of it; it was preferable to a flat in Central London, that was for sure.

He walked until he found the right house, and bit his lip nervously, as he prepared himself. He fixed his jumper and hair, before double checking the address that the Lupins had sent him. Satisfied he was at the right house, he walked up to the door and knocked.

**~oOo~**

"He looks nervous," Hope said, from the other side of the curtain, as they watched Sirius walk up to the gate, and start fixing his clothes.

"He's checking that he looks alright. I bet he made all that effort for Remus."

"He could just be trying to be presentable for dinner?" Hope said, hoping that Lily was right.

They watched as he checked the address on the parchment, before opening the gate.

"A fiver says that by the end of the night, they'll have organised to see each other again," Lily grinned.

"I'm not making a bet against you, I think Sirius is a very nice boy, it would be nice for Remus to be friends with him."

"Maybe Remus and Sirius can run away together before the wedding," Lily suggested, as they heard the knock on the door.

Hope sighed. "A mother can only dream."

Hope answered the door, as Lily went in the kitchen to set the table. Remus was upstairs, without a clue that Sirius was coming to dinner.

**~oOo~**

Remus had just gotten out of the shower and into his room when he heard a knock and voices downstairs. He was running a bit behind. He should have already been downstairs to greet the guest, but he had found his shower extended, due to inappropriate thoughts about a certain dark haired wizard. When he should have been washing his body, he found his hands occupied, as his mind turned to thoughts of the sexy smirk and husky tones, and those amazing silver eyes that just made his body feel hot.

This was followed by an overwhelming guilt. He was about to get married, yet his thoughts had been filled with someone who definitely wasn't his fiancé. In fact, they were filled with a man he'd known for less than 24 hours. How could he picture Sirius so easily, while he had never once was tempted to think about Peter in the shower!

'Because Sirius is ours,' the wolf told him, causing him to frown.

"Sirius isn't ours," Remus whispered, correcting his wolf, as he finished taking his shower.

'He will be,' the voice insisted, but Remus ignored it. He stepped out of the shower, and dried himself, before wrapping a towel around his waist and making his way across the hall, confident that everyone was downstairs.

He closed the door and turned around, noticing his phone on the bed, and glared at it.

That was the main reason why he was late getting ready. The reason why Sirius Black was on his mind as he stepped into the shower.

That bloody Muggle device.

Remus had sat there for two hours before taking his shower, trying to think of a reason to text Sirius. He had written so many texts, only to delete them before sending. They had included asking his opinion on which wine to choose, and to possibly ask Sirius to come with him to get his tux during the week. He had chickened out without sending any texts. Sirius was probably just being polite, and didn't really want to help.

He had begun trying to decide what to wear that evening when he had gone out with Lily. He would wear that outfit for dinner too. He sorted through the drawers, and then his wardrobe, trying to find his new chocolate coloured cardigan. He had no luck. He pulled on his jeans and headed to the top of the stairs.

"Lils, is my new cardigan down there? I can't find it."

A minute later, Lily came up the stairs with a carrier bag, and a smirk on her face.

"You're wearing the jeans," she said, grinning.

Remus took the bag and stared at her for a minute. "You're up to something," he accused, before looking down at the tight jeans she had insisted he wear.

She shook her head, and headed down the stairs. Remus stared after her for a moment, trying to figure out what she was planning, but nothing came to mind. He went back into his room with the bag, and pulled the cardigan over his t-shirt. He checked the outfit in the mirror, happy with his new purchase, and pulled on some socks, and his converse. He took one last look at his phone, considering texting Sirius.

He typed the message fast, before he could change his mind.

'Hey, it's Remus. Me and Lily were going out for a drink later, and you mentioned that your friend James might like her. Just wondering if you wanted to introduce them?'

He sent the message, not giving himself time to doubt his decision. He felt confident that it was just a nice polite message, and couldn't be taken the wrong way. He only planned to be friends with Sirius. He knew nothing else would come of it, just friendship.

He hated how he had to keep reminding himself he was getting married to Peter, every time he thought about Sirius. He hoped that would change when he was actually married.

He checked his outfit once again in the mirror, and he had to admit, Lily was right. His arse wasn't too bad in the tight jeans. He fixed his hair, drying it with his wand, before heading downstairs.

**~oOo~**

Hope opened the door to see a nervous looking Sirius standing there. She took a quick look, and noticed he seemed to have made more of an effort than the previous day. She took that as a good sign.

"Sirius, so lovely that you could join us," Hope said, smiling warmly.

"Thank you for the invite, Mrs Lupin," Sirius replied, leaning in and kissing her cheek.

"It's our pleasure, please come in."

She stepped out of the way to let Sirius in, closing the door behind him. "You look very smart today."

He grinned and thanked her, before walking through to the sitting room, where Lily was waiting.

"Hi, Sirius," she said, smiling at him.

"Hey, Lily, how've you been?"

"Since yesterday? Pretty much the same. You?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"Pretty good actually, why do you sound so nice?"

She glanced past Sirius at Hope. "I've been warned to be on my best behaviour," she replied, solemnly.

Sirius chuckled. "I get the impression that won't last long at all."

Lily grinned in response.

He turned back around, towards Hope, and held out the box of chocolates and wine to her. Hope accepted them with a smile. She glanced at the label on the wine, and her eyebrows raised. She knew it was an expensive brand.

"Take a seat, dear. Would you like a glass now, or shall we wait for dinner?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm not much of a wine drinker, I'm happy to wait for some, Mrs Lupin," Sirius replied.

"Oh, darling, please – call me Hope, and my husband John. There's none of this Mr and Mrs Lupin nonsense in this house."

Sirius nodded. "Of course, Hope," he answered, with an award-winning grin.

She left the room, and returned with John a moment later. He walked over to Sirius and shook his hand.

"Welcome to the Lupin house. It's not often we have company for dinner," John said.

"You have a lovely home, Hope, John," Sirius replied, looking around.

He took in the place, eager to see the house that Remus grew up in. There were photos all over the walls of Remus at various ages. Sirius found his favourite quite quickly. It was of a two year old Remus, with chocolate smeared across his face, and a half melted chocolate bar clenched in his fist. He had chocolate in his hair and was grinning happily, whilst waving his chocolate bar. Sirius let out a little chuckle.

"Remus has a chocolate addiction that has gotten worse with age," Hope said from behind him.

"No, it's brilliant, I can tease him about it later," Sirius grinned, as his eyes moved across more pictures. They lingered on one where a very young Lily and Remus were laughing and joking together.

"How old are they here?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, that was the Christmas after they first met, they were eleven."

Sirius nodded, as he looked through the rest. His eyes lingered on the second from last one, a picture of Remus with his parents, looking the same age as he was now.

"That was on his twenty-first birthday," Hope said, and Sirius smiled. "It's recent?"

"Oh yes, that was about ten months ago now. Remus is twenty-one."

"Cool, I just turned twenty-two recently," Sirius replied. "That's a really nice picture," he said, gesturing to the next picture, staring at Remus who was joking, quite drunk and leaning on the bar, winking at the camera.

Hope grinned. She thought Remus looked handsome in that picture, and clearly Sirius thought the same.

"Would you like a beer?" John asked, holding one out, and Sirius accepted it, his gaze moving back to the last picture of Remus.

"Thank you, John," he said with a smile, although he didn't meet John's eyes. John didn't mind, since it was Remus' picture that was stealing Sirius' attention, and the goal of the night was to help them both.

"I hope you don't mind us inviting you over on such short notice," John said.

"No, I don't mind in the slightest. I must say I was pleasantly surprised, and have been looking forward to it all day," Sirius replied, his attention quickly snapping back to the Lupins.

John grinned at him, pleased with what Sirius had said. "Well, you see, with Remus' condition, he finds it difficult to let people get close. As you can imagine, last night was a nice surprise for us, and seeing as you both hit it off so well, I hoped you wouldn't mind planning, or helping to plan his Stag do?"

"I was supposed to plan it as the best woman, but apparently that's not good enough," Lily muttered, hiding a smile. She could see straight through John. "Remus is insistent he doesn't want a big fuss, and neither of us really know what to do, but we were hoping you would have some ideas?"

"You can say no if it's too much," John added, and Sirius grinned.

"Sure, I'd be more than happy to," Sirius said, picking up the parchment and pen from the coffee table.

"So, who's coming?"

"Well, so far it's me, Lily, three of Remus' closest cousins, my brother and you."

Sirius nodded.

"You're welcome to bring someone if you want?" John offered.

Sirius grinned. "Great, I'll bring James."

John felt his happy mood disappear quickly. Sirius wasn't single. Now he had to work out how to break up two couples, not just one.

"Oh, is James your boyfriend?" Hope asked, with a smile.

Sirius shook his head. "Nope, no boyfriend. I'm single, James is my room-mate. Is it still okay to invite him, because I don't have to –"

"He's the one you mentioned last night? The one who snuck into the party, got bored and left?"

Sirius let out a laugh. "Pretty much."

"Right, bring him along," John said, nodding. He hoped that if Sirius brought a friend, he might be more involved in the planning.

Sirius grinned, and wrote James' name on the list too.

"Is there anyone else you want to bring?" Dorea asked, and Sirius thought for a moment, before writing another name on the list.

"Frank?" Lily asked. "Is he cute?"

"Married," Sirius replied. "But James is single, like I mentioned, and he has a thing for redheads."

Lily smiled.

They were interrupted by a shout from upstairs. "Lils, is my new cardigan down there? I can't find it."

Lily looked around, and spotted a bag on the floor near the door. She grabbed it and rushed up, returning moments later.

"Okay, what about venue. You looking for anything in particular?" Sirius asked.

John shook his head. "No, we have no idea what to do."

"Well, Remus doesn't seem the type to want some big massive thing, I'm sure he'd prefer a more intimate event, with drinking and stuff? You lot obviously know him better than I do, but he didn't seem to enjoy the party last night, I think he'd prefer something more relaxed?"

John nodded. "Yeah, I hear you. What do you have in mind?"

"We ask Rosmerta to reserve the back of the pub for us, and we have a small thing there. We can sort out our own music, Ros can do the food and drinks at the bar?"

John thought for a second. "Okay, we'll try that. I'll talk to –"

"Don't worry, I'll get it taken care of. I'll speak to Ros, I'm sure I can get a good deal from her, and I'll let you know what she says. What day do you want it on?"

"The wedding is on the Sunday, so the Friday," John confirmed. He worked it out in his head. If they had failed by then, the stag-do would be their last chance to get the pair together. Otherwise it'd entail taking some drastic actions at the wedding itself.

"Great. I'll sort it," Sirius replied, ignoring his phone beeping. It was probably James trying to text him.

"Hang on, so Remus' stag do is us going to a pub and getting pissed?" Lily asked. "Yeah, I like that idea."

"Of course you would. Here's betting you have another bottle of something hidden away in your purse," Sirius teased.

Lily smirked. "No, I drunk that one when I heard you were coming for dinner," she replied, and Sirius started laughing.

**~oOo~**

Remus headed downstairs, curious about all the laughter, and he walked into the room, where, chatting and laughing with his parents and best friend, was Sirius Black.

He watched him in a daze for a moment, before Sirius felt eyes on him and turned around.

"Remus, good to see you again," he said, jumping up and pulling Remus into a quick hug. "How did the rest of the party go? Bet it was pretty dull without me there?"

Remus smiled and nodded, suddenly feeling quite nervous. "Quite dull," he said, shyly, aware that Sirius' arm was resting over his shoulder.

"Well, do you want to look over the plans for your stag do? I've taken over organising it."

"Sure," Remus said, trying to keep his voice normal after Sirius had so casually hugged him. People didn't hug him, and people who looked like Sirius certainly didn't hug him. Sirius smelt good.

"I'm just going to get a drink."

"Don't touch the wine, Sirius brought over a lovely bottle, but we're waiting to have it with dinner."

Remus nodded, and rushed to the kitchen.

Sirius sat back down, and Lily started speaking to him, but he found he couldn't look away. He could see through the doorway straight to the kitchen, where Remus was leaning over, taking a glass out of the dishwasher. Fuck, those jeans were tight. He couldn't tear his eyes away as Remus poured himself a drink, and only when Remus started to turn, did he quickly turn his head, to meet Lily's smirk.

"Can I open these chocolates?"

"No, you can't. Sirius bought them for me," Hope replied. "You have your own stash upstairs, don't think I don't know about that."

Remus let out a groan, and Sirius bit his lip, trying to keep his thoughts about the other man clean.

Remus really wanted one of the chocolates, he could smell them, and they smelt rich and delicious. They were some of the fancy ones.

"What about when you've opened them?" Remus asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, his eyes focused on the attractive man at the table. He was sure he felt eyes on him when he was getting a drink, but when he looked around, Sirius was looking in the other direction.

"I'll save you some, but after dinner," Hope said with a laugh. "I want to enjoy those, it's not every day a handsome lad like Sirius turns up with chocolates and wine. Merlin knows your father doesn't buy me them."

Remus laughed.

"If dad bought you some, you'd be suspicious," he said, walking back into the living room, and taking a seat next to Sirius. Sirius had mentioned looking over the plans, after all. "Didn't he buy you flowers a few weeks back, and you found out he broke..."

"He accidently turned my favourite dress blue."

Sirius let out a chuckle.

Remus' hand was twitching, and he started to stand.

"No chocolate until after dinner," Lily said, and Remus sighed. He turned to Sirius.

"Don't think I have a chocolate issue, it just helps with the whole... werewolf thing, and –"

"Remus, I don't believe a word of it, I've seen the evidence," Sirius stated, pointing to a picture on the wall, and Remus laughed.

"Been shown the baby pictures already?" He asked.

"Well I was curious, so I thought I'd take a look. I think I know you a lot better after seeing those."

"Do you? What have you found out?"

"That you're a chocolate addict, and that you get quite flirty with the camera when you're drunk."

"Oh you saw that one too?" Remus blushed.

"I think it suits you. I'll have to take you out drinking and see this other side of you," Sirius offered, hoping the invite wasn't too fast. He hoped it sounded innocent. That's how he meant it. Not because he wanted to see flirty Remus.

"You're on," Remus nodded. "So... stag do?"

Sirius grabbed the parchment from the coffee table, and held it between them.

Remus struggled to read, as he realised how close Sirius was to him, and he glanced up to see Lily with a dirty grin on her face. He glared at her and tried to focus on the paper again.

"Well, I think we should have dinner, and then you boys can sort out Remus' stag do?" Hope said, standing up.

"Good idea, do you need help with anything?"

"Of course not, Sirius dear," she replied, "but you could open that lovely bottle of wine you brought over. You have excellent tastes, might I add, I am looking forward to a glass, and I'm sure Lily is too."

Sirius nodded, and they all made their way to the dining table to eat, Sirius opened the wine, and poured them all a glass.

Once Sirius had finished eating, Hope decided to get some questions answered about him.

"Now, how is it that a handsome boy like you is single?" Hope asked and Sirius shrugged.

"It's difficult, Mrs Lupin..."

"Hope."

"Sorry. It's difficult... Hope, either someone is fascinated by the fact that I'm a Black, even if I'm disowned, it's still a step up on the social ladder for the pureblood witches, and wizards – to marry into the Black family, or people fear me, just because of my family, who I'm nothing like. That leaves very few in between, and not many of them take my interest."

"So what kind of wizard would take your interest?"

Sirius' eyes flickered to Remus for a split second, and he blushed. "Well, I'm not sure. I guess something important would be if I clicked quite easily with someone..." he said, restraining himself from looking at Remus again. "Someone a bit opposite to me, a bit more serious I guess, I... I really don't know, Hope," he said.

"That's alright, dear, I was just wondering," Hope replied, pleased by his reaction to the question. How his eyes automatically found Remus, that was the real answer to the question.

"Have you got a tux sorted out yet?" John asked, and Sirius shook his head.

"I haven't had the chance, I only found out about the wedding yesterday. The invite arrived with the letter for the engagement party."

John smiled between the two boys who were sitting facing each other and sneaking glances at each other.

"Well, unless you're going with Peter, you're more than welcome to come with us?"

Sirius looked between them for a moment. Taking in Remus' hopeful smile, he smiled back before turning to John.

"Sure, just let me know what day, and I'm there," he responded.

The evening went fast, and Sirius got along wonderfully with Remus' parents. Remus found himself sitting there in disbelief.

He knew that they accepted that he was gay, but ever since the moment that he had brought Peter home, there had seemed to be a change in their attitudes. He had assumed that they weren't as accepting as they'd said they were, and he tried his hardest to get them to like Peter, and accept that he was going to spend the rest of his life with another man.

He watched them through dinner, laughing and joking with Sirius, and Sirius being his charming self. Watching his mother enjoying having company over, he couldn't help comparing it to the times that Peter had come for dinner, where it was just silence, no laughing, no joking. No one seemed to want to talk to anyone. Remus assumed it was because Peter was a man, but Sirius sitting at the table made him doubt his previous thoughts.

Clearly his parents were fine with gay men, they just hadn't taken to Peter for some reason.

He shook his head. That couldn't have been the case, because they would have told him. Surely? Even if they hadn't, Lily would have said something. It wasn't like Lily to keep her mouth shut.

He cleared the thoughts away, instead choosing to listen to Sirius chatting away to his parents. He found himself pretending that it was Sirius that he was in a relationship with, Sirius that was coming to dinner every week and sitting with his family, fitting right in. Even Lily was talking to him and laughing with him, and that was rare for Lily. Lily was antisocial, and didn't like people.

Finally, Sirius glanced at the clock and looked shocked.

"Hope, John, I'm so sorry, but I was supposed to meet some friends an hour ago, I just lost track of time."

Hope smiled. "We're so sorry for keeping you, dear," she said.

He shook his head. "It's not your fault, I was enjoying myself so much, that I wasn't paying attention to the time. We haven't even finished planning the stag do!"

"Well, we were thinking of doing the suits on Monday, if you'd like to join us, we can possibly come back here and finish the planning?"

Sirius nodded. "Perfect, Remus, can you text me the details for Monday?" He asked, and Remus nodded.

Sirius picked up his empty beer can, brought it to the kitchen and placed it into the bin, before returning and kissing Hope's cheek, and shaking John's hand. He pulled out his phone, and quickly checked the text, seeing it was sent before Remus came into the room, and he grinned.

"Thank you so much for the invite, I've had a great time," Sirius said.

"We loved having you over. I'll do dinner again for Monday, if you do meet up," Hope said.

Sirius smiled. "I'd like that," he replied, with a soft look towards Remus.

"So, Remus, Lily, I'm off to meet my friends, James and the Longbottoms. Lily, I think you'd get on well with James. Do you want to come with me?"

Remus felt uncertain. Was Sirius inviting him because of the text? Was he just trying to be polite? But he had asked Remus out for a drink when talking about the photo on the wall. Remus felt torn.

Remus looked at Lily, his eyes wide, and Lily realised that Remus was going to be hopeless.

"Yeah, why not," she said. "Your friends won't mind?"

Sirius shrugged. "Why would they?"

He threw his arm over Remus' shoulder and led him out, with a wave to the Lupins.

They reached the Apparation point, and Sirius glanced at them. "Side long Apparation alright?" He asked, and Lily and Remus nodded.

Once they reached the destination, Sirius gave Lily a look. She went into the shop they were passing to get some chewing gum, and Sirius glanced at Remus.

"Remus, are we alright? You don't seem yourself? I mean, if it was weird that your dad invited me over, I didn't want to intrude or anything," Sirius said, feeling at a loss for words.

Remus had spent the dinner feeling guilty for what he had done in the shower. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Sirius, yet he didn't want to look at him, because looking made him think the same thoughts.

He immediately felt guilty when Sirius looked at him, with such confusion on his face.

"No, you've done nothing, I actually... it was nice, I was just surprised, I mean since I'm a werewolf, people usually don't want to associate with me, let alone come over for dinner. I was more shocked than anything, I guess."

"So you didn't mind me being there?" Sirius asked, looking less on edge, and he sighed in relief when Remus shook his head.

"No, you're welcome whenever you want," Remus said, feeling shy at the words. "I really enjoyed you coming over for dinner."

"Great," Sirius said, giving Remus his full smile, and Remus actually felt stunned in place.

"So, how did you get my parents to like you?" he asked, something that had been bugging him since he had found out that his dad had invited Sirius over.

Sirius shrugged. "I'm a loveable bloke, what can I say?"

Remus chuckled. "You are that."

"Remus, just... your dad said that you don't really meet people, and I just don't get why. You're amazing, and anyone who looks down on you because you're a werewolf... well, fuck them, they're the ones missing out on having the opportunity to get to know you."

"Thank you," he said.

"Plus, you got me as your friend, I think you and James would get on good, you got Lily... My opinion is you don't need a lot of fake friends, just a few good ones..."

"That's a very good point. Do you have a lot of friends?"

"Nope, the Longbottoms, Peter and James, and now you."

"What about Lily?"

Sirius shrugged. "Sure, she's quite fun to chat with," he said.

"You're not too bad yourself," came Lily's voice from behind them.

Sirius grinned at her. "Let's get going for that drink?" He asked and they started walking.

"I'm glad you decided to come out with us," Sirius said, mostly to Remus.

"Yeah, we're glad too," Remus replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Review please - I like to know what you think of the story :)<strong>

**Poor Remus can't seem to keep his mind off Sirius. Well, he is marrying Peter, who wouldn't be fantasising about Sirius instead of their fiancé?**

**Peter doesn't seem like such a nice guy after all, right!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to Michy Drarry Shipper, who has been beta'ing this story for me :)**

**I own nothing.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. :D**

* * *

><p>Sirius led them to the pub and held the door open, allowing Lily and Remus to go in first. He told himself it was just polite, and not because he wanted to check out Remus' arse in the tight jeans again. How did Remus own a pair of jeans like that? Surely men would be throwing themselves at him in those? Sirius definitely would have if Remus had been single... or dating someone who wasn't his friend. He quickly pushed that thought from his head, reminding himself again, that Remus was with Peter.<p>

"Oi, Black, you finally made it, how was your... fucking hell, who are you, Princess?" James said, quickly moving away from the redhead at the bar, who he had attempted to chat up, and coming over to them. The redhead shot Lily a dark look.

"Let me get you a drink, come join me and my friends," he offered, staring at Lily.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're going with Princess?"

James ran his hand through his hair, making sure it was suitably messy.

"Let me buy you a drink, Sweetheart," he said cockily, winking at her.

"That's even worse than Princess."

"Cupcake?" he offered, but he noticed that she was still unimpressed. He kept trying. "Honey-toast? Snuggle-bunny? Sugar-lips? Darling? F-"

"That's enough, my name is Lily," she interrupted.

"Lilykins," James said, smiling at her, a dreamy expression on his face. His arm slid over her shoulder.

"Move your hand," she ordered. "I'm drinking Butterbeer, and Remus would like one too."

"Remus?" He asked, removing his arm, and turning to find Remus. His gaze met a pair of amused amber eyes, and he looked Remus over quickly. He was about to greet him, but Lily distracted him.

"Yes, he doesn't have a drink either. You should go get them now."

"Oh right, of course," James said, before he rushed to the bar. He ignored the redhead he had been chatting to before Lily had walked in, instead ordering drinks and turning back to look at the three. The girl glared at Lily, who raised her eyebrows back. She hadn't forced James to ignore the girl at the bar, that was James' own choice.

"Told you," Sirius mumbled to Remus. "He'll be following her around like a puppy now."

They followed James to the bar, and James turned to Remus.

"So, you're Remus?" he asked, holding out his hand to Remus.

"Yeah, that's me," Remus said, reaching out and shaking James' hand. "You're James Potter?"

James nodded. "Yup, it's good to finally meet you. So tell me, why is a good-looking guy like you marrying Peter?" He tried to veil the disgust of Peter's name in his tone.

Remus ignored the way James had said Peter's name. He realised not everyone was a fan of Peter. "It's nice to meet you too, James," he said softly. He actually felt quite nervous in meeting Sirius' best friend. What if James didn't like him? Would Sirius not want to be his friend either?

"Sirius told me a lot about you," James said, smirking when Sirius narrowed his eyes at him. "Let's go and sit down, and you can meet the Longbottoms... and Benjy."

He turned to Sirius. "Just to warn you, Benjy turned up," he said, and Sirius frowned. "We didn't invite him, I think he overheard me and Frank when I went to the Ministry, and just decided to invite himself along. Again. I'm sorry, I tried to stop him."

"Great," Sirius muttered, looking annoyed. "Did he hear I was going to be here?"

James nodded. "Couldn't you get rid of him?" Sirius asked him, a pleading look in his eyes.

James shook his head. "I tried, mate, but he's not leaving."

"One word from him, and I'll make him leave," Sirius muttered.

Lily and Remus followed Sirius and James over to a table where a couple around their ages was sitting with a handsome blonde man, who Remus guessed was Benjy.

"This is Alice and Frank Longbottom," Sirius introduced them, and the couple smiled at Lily and Remus.

"Alice, Frank, this is Lily Evans, and Remus Lupin."

"And that's Benjy Fenwick," Sirius said, not sounding as happy as he had, when introducing the Longbottoms.

Benjy nodded at Lily and winked at Remus. Sirius glared at Benjy, as Benjy's eyes moved appreciatively over Remus. How dare he look at Remus like that? Remus was his. Wait, no, Remus was Peter's, he quickly corrected himself.

Frank looked at Remus for a moment. "You look familiar," he said, trying to place him.

"Are you an Auror too?" Remus asked, and Frank nodded.

"Yeah, I work with James, Sirius and Alice. That's how me and Alice got together, she was assigned my partner."

"Well, you've probably seen me around the Ministry, although I'm not there often. I have to check in with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures every few months," he said calmly, hoping that they wouldn't react like everyone else. He didn't want to hide what he was, he felt it best to be upfront about it.

There was a long silence, as everyone looked at Remus, who quickly bit his lip and looked down at the table.

"Do any of you have a problem with that?" Sirius asked, his voice soft, but his eyes narrowed. He looked between Benjy and the Longbottoms.

"Sorry, Remus, just wasn't expecting that," James spoke first, noticing Remus' reaction to their stares. "Sirius is a good judge of character, so if he says you're all right, then I'm good. My parents always told me you lot were misunderstood, and not to judge someone without knowing them, and you seem a nice enough guy."

Remus smiled. "Thanks, James," he said softly, looking relieved. Lily beamed at James, and he grinned back, happy that he had impressed Lily with his answer.

They watched Sirius raise his eyebrows at Frank and Alice, waiting to hear what they thought. Frank was staring at Remus, trying to get a read on him.

"No, we're good man, no problems here," Frank said, after a minute, and Alice nodded in agreement and smiled at Remus. Sirius' hard gaze turned to Benjy Fenwick, who was looking at Alice and Frank in shock.

"Wait, you trust him?" Benjy said to the group, a sneer on his lips. The seductive smile on his face had disappeared quickly after hearing that Remus was a Werewolf.

"Maybe this was a bad idea. I should go," Remus said softly, standing up and picking up his coat.

"Remus, sit down," James said kindly, and he grabbed Remus' arm, stopping him leaving, and both him and Sirius glared at Benjy. "We want to get to know you, we already know that Benjy is a tosser and not welcome here," James finished.

"Is she a half-breed too?" Benjy snapped, as Sirius grabbed Benjy's arm, roughly, and dragged him outside.

As they got to the doors, James and Lily both jumped up and rushed after them, not wanting to miss what Sirius was saying, the Longbottoms followed, and Remus came up last, curiosity winning out.

"Why bring that Werewolf here? He's dangerous!"

Sirius started laughing. "First of all, that Werewolf has a name, and it's Remus. As for him being dangerous, are you kidding me? I'm certainly more dangerous than Remus. He's just a regular bloke, who has to stay home one night a month, that's it. I can't picture him hurting anyone. I can't imagine him even raising his voice at anyone. He's harmless."

"He's one of You-Know-Who's, all the Werewolves are -"

Sirius pushed Benjy into the wall.

"I think that's enough, Benjy. Remus is my friend, and I don't give a fuck what you have to say... you and I aren't friends, and you should watch your back. There is no way he's one of You-Know-Who's."

"He's a Werewolf!" Benjy shouted.

"And I'm a Black, does that make me a follower too? Most of my family are supporters, and I'm not, in the same way that most of the Werewolves are followers, and Remus isn't. There are always exceptions."

Benjy was silent.

"Now here are your options. You will go back inside and apologise to Remus and to Lily, or you will leave. If you fail to do either, I will take a leaf out of my cousin's book. Do you understand me?"

"You really are insane, Black," Benjy mumbled.

They heard a cruel laugh. "I am, indeed. It comes with the name, I'm afraid. But I don't like how you're treating my new friends, and I don't take to prejudice quietly as I'm sure everyone knows."

"You're too fucking opinionated, we could have been good together, we -"

"Have no chance in hell at getting back together. I ended it when I realised your stance on Centaurs, and found out that you were a wanker."

"Centaurs, Werewolves, Merpeople and Mudbloods are below us. We're pure, Sirius, why can't you see that? They -"

No-one was expecting the way Sirius' fist reared back and hit Benjy hard in the face, before meeting Benjy's face a second time, knocking Benjy to the ground.

"People like Remus and Lily are above people like you," Sirius spat. "You sound like a Death Eater, and I don't associate with Death Eaters."

The group moved back inside, and quickly took their seats.

"So... they used to date?" Remus asked, wondering why the thought of Benjy and Sirius together bothered him so much. He ignored Lily's smug smile at the question.

"Yeah, Benjy liked Sirius for ages, but they were only going out a few months when the Ministry was trying to push a law on the Centaurs, if you remember that one, it was last year actually. We ended up talking about it here, and let's just say that Benjy had a different outlook than the rest of us. Benjy turned out to be like Sirius' family – a Pureblood, who looked down on anyone who wasn't a Pureblood, or who was a Werewolf, Centaur, Merperson, Goblin... well, anyone who was different. Sirius ended it the same day. Sirius will tolerate a lot, but prejudice is one thing he won't."

They all looked over as Sirius walked back to them.

"That's why he brought you here, Remus, he knew we wouldn't judge you on the fact that you're a Werewolf," James whispered before Sirius reached them.

"Well, seems like Benjy has decided to go home," Sirius said, a forced smile on his face, before he downed his drink. "Another round? My turn? Remus, wanna help me?"

Remus nodded and stood up. As they got to the bar, Sirius turned to Remus.

"Are you alright?" He asked, softly, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, but you should have just let me go home, it would have saved you all this trouble," Remus said.

"Oh, don't be silly, Remus, he wasn't my friend, I can't stand the bloke, and you and Lily are my friends now. I invited you because I wanted to spend time with you, and wanted Lily to meet James. If someone has a problem with you, then I've got a problem with them. I won't allow anyone to make you feel like you have no right sitting with us. If he hadn't started on you, he would have said something about Lily's blood status, and then James would have been the one to have a word with him outside."

"Thank you," Remus said softly. "I think that's the first time anyone has stood up for me that wasn't Lily, or my family."

"Doesn't Peter?" Sirius asked, frowning.

Remus looked away. "The others were alright with my condition," he said, changing the subject. He didn't want to start comparing Sirius and Peter, and how Peter would just whisper to him to ignore it. Sometimes he wondered if Peter was embarrassed of his condition, but surely Peter couldn't be, because Peter wanted to marry him. But at the party, Peter had kept a slight distance, more so when near Peter's parents.

Sirius felt something dark inside of him stir when he heard Remus' avoidance of the question. How could you not defend the person you were about to marry? Surely Peter would stand up for Remus if someone treated him wrong? Sirius thought back to school, where he would always stand up for Peter, but he couldn't recall one time where Peter had stood up for anyone else. But he had assumed that in a relationship, it was different.

Clearly not. He'd have to have a word with Peter. Remus needed someone who would defend him from those sort of comments.

"James would have done the same, he knows you're important to me, so he wouldn't have stood for it either. I knew they would be okay with you, because James doesn't let anything phase him, he's like me in that sense. He was the only person willing... or insane enough to befriend me, when everyone else in Gryffindor was scared of the little first year from the scary family. I am loyal to my friends, Remus, and that means you... and Lily of course."

Remus grinned at him, and Sirius saw him look a lot more relaxed than when they had first come in.

"It's nice to have friends," he said, grabbing three of the glasses and making his way back to the table, Sirius following, trying to keep his eyes off Remus' arse, and not succeeding.

...oOo...

When the two were at the bar, Lily looked at James. "So, Potter, what do you think of Peter?"

James went to answer, but hesitated. He didn't want to piss off the beautiful redhead in front of him. Peter was her best friend's fiancé, after all.

Lily saw his hesitation. "Sirius said that you didn't come to the party because Peter doesn't like you, so I thought it was a safe bet that the feeling was mutual. Personally, I hate the bastard, and want to destroy him," Lily said, finishing up her drink.

"Brilliant, when I say stuff like that in front of Sirius, he gets really defensive. I can't stand the slimy git myself," James agreed.

"Why not?" Lily asked.

James frowned for a moment. "Because he was the perfect Pureblooded friend, who Sirius' parents approved of, and it was clear to me that Peter was doing everything he could to make me look bad and come in between us, and spoil our friendship. He's a horrible person," James spat out angrily. "Sirius can't see it, and I don't get why he can't, but Peter is awful, and Remus seems nice, I just don't get it. Why is Remus even with him?"

"So you'll help stop the wedding?" Lily asked hopefully.

"My goal is to get Sirius and Remus together," James said firmly, the anger leaving his face.

"That was kind of the plan. The only way Remus will change his mind about Peter, is if he realises there's someone else that he could be a lot happier with. Peter treats him like crap, though Remus doesn't see it either, and Sirius treats Remus... well, you've seen for yourself."

"Was dinner part of this plan?" James asked, grinning.

Lily grinned back. "Hope and John aren't fond of Peter either... and by that, I mean they can't stand him. They've taken a liking to Sirius, Hope was very impressed with the chocolates and wine earlier, but he's so bloody loyal to Peter, it's going to be hard."

"Well, what we need to do is make him question his loyalty," James stated.

"How do you suppose we go about that?" Lily asked.

"I'll try fuck up Peter and Sirius' friendship, and you try with Peter and Remus' relationship."

"Done," Lily said.

Alice smirked. "I'm in, what can I do to help?"

"You don't like Peter either?" Lily asked.

Alice looked at Frank.

"I just get a bad vibe from him," Frank said. "My vibes are usually pretty spot on."

"That's why you stared at Remus for ages? You were trying to work him out?" Lily asked.

Frank smiled at her. "Yeah, I do it with everyone though."

"Even me?" Lily asked. "What did you get from me?"

"Don't worry, I got a good feeling about you," Frank said, looking between the pair with a smirk on his face. "I'm sure James got a very good feeling from you."

"I know to trust Frank's judgement on these matters, plus I want Sirius to be happy, and if James thinks that Remus is the one, then I trust his judgement too," Alice stated.

"Well, the Lupins are finding ways to get them to spend time together. The dinner was the first, tux fitting in a few days is next."

James nodded.

"You could be my plus one to the wedding. As a last resort, we ruin the wedding and kidnap Remus. That means you'll need a tux, so you could go with Sirius, Remus and John?"

James grinned. "Lilykins, are you asking me to a wedding on our first date?"

"No, I expect you to take me to dinner for our first date."

"When?" He asked, sitting up straight, and staring at her.

"I'll let you know, you have to earn it first."

"Anything, my love."

Lily shook her head in amusement.

"Okay, let's start slow here. I've noticed that Sirius can't keep his eyes off Remus' arse. It's a good thing I told him to wear those jeans. Also, Remus is a bit restless this close to the full moon, so he'll be offering to help with the bar a lot. Just don't be too obvious," Lily said.

They nodded.

"Don't be obvious, but show how Sirius is better than Peter," Lily added.

"That won't be hard," James stated.

"Remus loosens up after a few drinks, he loses all the shyness, so we just need to get them chatting and laughing. I swear Peter's never made Remus laugh. He's a miserable prick."

"Always has been," James agreed. "Let's do this, let's get our best mates together."

...oOo...

"My round, is it? Frank offered. "Anyone want to help me?" His gaze shifted to Remus.

"I'll help, Remus said, jumping up and following him to the bar.

Everyone turned to look at Sirius, who wasn't even hiding where his gaze was. He watched Remus leaning on the bar, Frank had chosen a spot so Remus' back was constantly to Sirius, and Sirius' eyes didn't return to the table until they turned around to bring the drinks back.

After a few trips to the bar, Alice finally spoke up.

"Now, Remus, you must tell me where those jeans are from. I need to get a pair for Frank."

"I think James would look good in a pair," Lily said, winking at James.

"You're both kidding aren't you? I think I'd do well in a pair like that," Sirius declared. "My arse is perfect after all, so I should flaunt it in some tight jeans, right?"

James shook his head. "Yours can't even compare to mine, mate."

Sirius turned to Remus. "Come on mate, as the unbiased party here, and someone who I assume would appreciate a nice arse," Sirius said, as James choked on his drink, "You be the judge."

Remus chuckled, as the trio stood up and turned around. He took a quick glance at their behinds, trying to stop his gaze from lingering on Sirius' arse.

"Sorry, they're all equally as nice," Remus said, not wanting to offend anyone, personally he liked the look of Sirius' best. It was perfect, and he really wanted to...

He shook his head, mentally scolding himself. He told himself that he didn't want to do anything to it at all. It was wrong to have those thoughts about someone who wasn't Peter.

...oOo...

The argument continued for a few more drinks, and Lily was pleased to note that Remus was quite tipsy. Not overly so, just enough to make him entertaining. When he had drunk this much, he liked to speak a bit before thinking.

"But I put lotion on it and everything," Sirius stated loudly.

Remus snorted.

"Yeah, and James doesn't, bet his is all crusty... and old-looking," he added.

Remus and Lily started laughing, and James glared at Sirius.

"I am entirely sure that my arse is softer and more youthful than yours," James said, trying to get up from his seat. "Tell them, Lily."

She held her hands up. "I only met you a few hours ago, I haven't seen your backside yet."

"But you will, if you play your cards right," he said, seductively, letting a finger run up her arm.

"Jog on, Potter," she said, in amusement.

He stared at her. "You what?"

"Jog on... sod off, if you prefer."

"But don't discount Frank's, he exercises. Got better results than both these two in his fitness assessments at the Ministry," Alice stated. "It's so firm."

Frank was laughing quietly.

"The problem is that right now, you're all trying to decide who has the best arse out of all the blokes at the table, and I'm sorry to say that none of you have even considered mine. I feel quite offended," Remus grinned. "I'm going to say I have the best one. Closely followed by Sirius!"

"I think I agree with Remus, his is perfect. I think I need some of those jeans," Sirius declared, throwing an arm around Remus' shoulder.

"Extremely perfect," Remus corrected him, and Sirius nodded in agreement.

Lily listened to the banter, with a grin on her face. It was shocking how much Remus loosened up after a few drinks. A few more and he'd be flirting with Sirius, but she wouldn't let that happen. Playful banter was enough. If they started flirting, Remus would freak out and avoid Sirius, feeling as though he done something wrong.

"Okay, we all agree that Remus has the best arse, but I've got the best muscles," Sirius said, moving the arm that was on Remus' shoulders, and flexing them. Lily noticed Remus' eyes crawl over Sirius chest and arms. The jumper was fitted and it was clear that Sirius had some nice muscular arms. Remus reached out and touched Sirius' arm, and looked impressed.

Lily couldn't resist, she reached out to give Sirius' bicep a squeeze, and nodded in approval. James glared at Sirius.

"Oh, fair enough, dearest Lily. Well, no-one better hair than me," James stated, and Frank snorted.

"Who made that noise? Who thinks their hair is better?" James demanded, slamming his fist down on the table dramatically.

"I have better hair," Lily argued, and James paused and looked at her.

"No, sorry darling, but my hair is magnificent," James stated, and Lily snorted.

"Please, don't argue. James is very obsessed with his hair," Alice giggled.

"I was just going to say that I think Sirius has nicer hair," she stated.

James stood up from the table. "And to think I was going to marry you," he slurred. "You can go and marry Sirius for all I care."

"Fine, maybe I will," she said, calmly, drinking her drink.

"No," James shouted, in a panic. "Don't marry him, he's gay, and doesn't know how to please a woman, and I do. We could go and get married right now, I forgive you."

"I doubt you can please a woman, Potter," Lily giggled.

"You doubt me? One night with me, love, you'll be singing a different tune."

"It'll be a lot of hard work to get me into your bed, I don't shag just anyone."

James nodded. "Challenge accepted," he declared.

Sirius and Remus were giggling as they listened.

"See, Remus, you should come get pissed with us more often," Sirius said.

"I will, but Peter doesn't approve of me drinking a lot," he said, frowning a little bit.

"You gotta remember, Remus, you are your own man. You're not going out fighting or causing trouble, you're not shagging other blokes, it'll be drinking with your new mates. Peter doesn't control you. If I remember correctly, doesn't a marriage to you make you the dominant one in the relationship?" Alice asked.

Remus shrugged. "I don't know, it should, but I know Peter wants to be in control and -"

"And nothing, mate, you're a Werewolf, and it's your instinct to be dominant and none of us judge you for that, but Peter shouldn't try to change these things," James said.

Lily glanced at Remus' face, and noticed his mood decreasing, he was starting to pull away from the conversation.

"I'm sure it won't be so bad if you said you're out with me," Sirius said softly. "He'll know that you're alright if you're with me. I won't let anyone cause you any trouble."

Remus tried to smile. Everything the others were saying, it was stuff that he had worried over himself. Peter had reassured him, of course, and he had agreed with Peter it was for the best. After all, it wasn't safe to have a Werewolf in charge. It was better for Peter to be in charge. But James and the rest seemed to not agree with that, and what Peter had told him just didn't make as much sense any more.

"Okay, let's play a game. Who can drink a Butterbeer the fastest? My round? You going to help me, Remus?" James said, noticing Remus' discomfort on the matter. Lily shot him an appreciative look.

They headed to the bar, Sirius' head quickly turning, to check out Remus' arse, as it had each time.

They returned quickly, and the drinking competition commenced, Lily quickly being declared the winner, Remus a close second.

"Fuck, I'm impressed. No-one's ever been able to out-drink Alice, and you both managed to," Frank said, grinning at them.

"Lily gets a lot of practise," Remus stated. "All she does is knock back her drinks."

James put his arm around her. "Just goes to show what an impressive woman she is."

They finished up, and all stumbled out of the pub.

"No Apparating when drunk. Me and Sirius are going to walk home, we're just around the corner. Alice, Frank, you can Floo from ours."

Sirius looked at Remus and Lily, noticing Remus was looking dishevelled, and he grinned at Remus.

"Sirius," James whispered, nudging him, and he moved his eyes off Remus, and shook his head slightly.

"Remus, Lilykins, there's a cab company on the way to our house, and we'll set the Floo up tomorrow for next time."

"Next time?" Remus said, his eyebrows raising, as they started walking.

James threw an arm over both Alice and Lily, and started walking in front of Remus, leaving him walking with Frank and Sirius.

"We're in the pub most nights," Frank said, looking at Remus. "You should join us again, this was a lot of fun."

Sirius beamed at Frank, glad that he was so accepting of Remus. He knew that James would be cool, and that Alice trusted Frank's judgement, so Frank accepting him into their group was perfect. Remus looked more than pleased, as they continued up the road.

A couple of minutes later, they arrived at the cab office, and said their goodbyes, and Sirius and James watched the pair disappear into a cab.

"This was the best night of my life," James announced.

...oOo...

Remus and Lily stumbled through the door at 1am, and a minute later the Lupins came in the room in their pyjamas, having been woken by the sound of their laughter.

"Lily's dating James Potter," Remus giggled.

"At least I didn't spend the last couple of hours discussing who had a better arse," Lily pointed out.

"But I won that," Remus said proudly.

"It was the jeans. I still don't get why me and Alice were barred from that competition."

"Because you ladies get very sensitive in those discussions," Remus said, kicking off his shoes, and flopping on the sofa.

"You mean like James did when I said that Sirius had better hair?" She laughed.

Remus nodded, and joined in the laughter.

"So, you both had a good time?" Hope asked, noticing their alcohol induced state.

"Yeah, James Potter wanted me to run away with him and get married," Lily informed her, "and I won the drinking competition."

Hope smiled. "So you met Sirius' friends?" She asked, looking towards Remus.

"Yeah, they were really nice, none of them cared that I'm a Werewolf," Remus stated.

"Except Benjy, but Sirius dragged him outside and threatened him and he left," Lily added.

"Threatened him?" John asked, frowning slightly.

"Benjy said that Remus was a You-Know-Who supporter, and Sirius got really pissed, and he said Remus was harmless, and threatened Benjy... oh, and he punched Benjy in the face for saying that Purebloods were better than Mudbloods and Werewolves."

"It doesn't surprise me. I had a good feeling about him since I met him," Hope said, smiling.

"Me too," Remus murmured. "Sirius is amazing."

"And handsome," Lily said softly, looking at Remus.

"Hands off, he's mine," Remus whispered, his eyes starting to close.

As he dozed off, Hope pulled his arm, gently, waking him up and getting him off the sofa, leading him upstairs.

"The other three - Frank and Alice Longbottom, and James Potter, they got along with Remus really well," Lily told John. "Frank said that Remus should come out with them again, and you should have seen the look on Remus' face when he said that. Also, James hates Peter as much as we do. I get the impression Sirius has been talking about Remus to him, because he wants to get Sirius and Remus together too. He'll be with you at the tux fitting, since he's my plus one to the wedding."

With that, she headed upstairs, to her bedroom, saying goodnight to Remus and Hope on the way, and John made sure the place was locked up, before heading up to bed himself.

* * *

><p><strong>I kinda picture Remus as a lively drunk. He just loses all the shyness. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.<strong>

**Review please :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it took so long.**

**Thanks to my Beta - Michy Drarry Shipper :)**

**Also to Hato-ryou-chan for helping me with this story.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

><p>The next morning, Remus woke up and checked the time on his phone. He had a couple of new text messages. That was new, he rarely got them, unless Lily was out, or his parents were. Maybe Lily had gone out without him?<p>

He brought his hands to his eyes, and tried to wipe them, but only succeeded in poking himself in the eye. He blinked a few times, before turning his attention back to his phone. He grabbed his covers, wrapping them around himself tightly before opening the first text message. He wasn't getting out of bed after all, plus it was Sunday. People stayed in bed late on Sundays.

The number was one that he didn't recognise. Not that this was difficult, it wasn't like he had many people in his phone.

_"Hey mate, hope you don't mind, I stole your number from Sirius' phone. I want to send Lily flowers, does she have a favourite type, or colour?"_

Remus quickly saved James' number into his phone, before typing out a reply.

_'Hey James, yeah it's fine. She loves all kinds, but pink and white Lilies and Roses should catch her attention.'_

Within seconds of the message being sent, he got another text from James, thanking him for his help. He checked out the other text he had seen when he woke up, to find it was from Sirius. Just seeing Sirius' name brought a smile to his face.

_'Hey Remus, everyone had fun last night. James, Frank and Alice all want your number. Should I pass it on? Sirius xx'_

His fingers moved slowly across the buttons, as he tried to write his reply. The smile on his face grew, as he played the words over and over in his head. The group of Sirius' friends all enjoyed his company. They all wanted his number, so that therefore meant they planned to contact him. Maybe they wanted to be friends. The thought of having friends made him feel lighter.

_'I had a great time too. The most fun I've had in ages, actually. Yeah, if they want it, they can have it. I'll speak to my dad when I'm out of bed and let you know what time the tux fitting is.'_

He shut his eyes again, and pulled the covers tighter around himself, snuggling into the soft pillow, before he heard the phone beep. Hard choice. Should he text Sirius, or sleep?

It only took seconds before his hand moved out from under the covers, and grabbed the phone to read the text from Sirius.

_'You're still in bed? You lazy sod. James dragged me out of bed at 6am for advice. He's evil.'_

_'Oh, so you and James share a bed, didn't know it was like that between you?'_

_'Oh, Gods no. That's as likely to happen as you and Lily.'_

_'So… quite likely?'_ Remus wrote jokingly.

_'What? I thought you were gay? Are you bisexual? Do you secretly fantasize about running off with Lily into the sunset?'_

_'Not with Lily, no._' Remus typed.

_'With someone else perhaps? ;)'_

Remus bit his lip. He wasn't quite sure why he wrote that to Sirius. He had no intentions of running off. He needed to end the texts for now, before he said something stupid, which was likely to happen. He got out of bed and went into the shower, before returning to his phone.

_"Not bisexual. No interest in girls whatsoever."_

_'Is there something I should be telling James about Lily? :p'_

_'Lol, I was joking about Lily. She's like a sister to me, nothing more. Well, I guess it's time for breakfast.'_

_'Breakfast is in the mornings. I think you mean lunch?'_

_'Lunchtime isn't for another half an hour.'_

_'You having anything nice?'_

_"Mum's cooking. She likes having Sunday dinner as a family."_

_'Well, I'll let you get one with it, and I'll text you later.'_

_'I look forward to it. x'_

_':) x'_

Remus got himself dressed, and into the living room.

"Finally, you're awake. We're going to the pub for lunch, I'm not in the mood to cook," Hope stated, as Lily came downstairs. "What time is Peter getting here?"

Remus looked back at his phone. "About half an hour," he replied, settling on the sofa. He could have had that thirty minutes in bed sleeping. But texting Sirius would always top sleeping. Maybe he could combine the two.

Sirius Black and Bed.

He almost slapped himself. Completely inappropriate indeed.

Do not think about Sirius Black in bed.

**...oOo...**

Dinner had been a quiet affair, very different to the dinner that involved Sirius the day before, and Remus had actually felt bored. Peter had been polite, but there were things he had begun to notice, that made him wonder if it had always been like that.

For a start, his parents hadn't offered for Peter to call them Hope and John, so he had called them Mr and Mrs Lupin. He thought in the past that Peter was being formal, but the previous day, every time Sirius had slipped up and called them Mr or Mrs Lupin, his mother had insisted that Sirius call her Hope.

Secondly, Peter didn't get chatting with the Lupins, there were only short replies from him. It almost seemed as though Peter wasn't even trying. He had seen Peter meet new people, and be pleasant to them, but what was it about his parents that Peter didn't respond to? His parents seemed to be making more effort than Peter, but not even the same amount as they made with Sirius. Sirius had chatted away to his parents, there was no lack of conversation with him there.

He had found himself watching carefully during dinner, trying to understand, and he'd noticed that Lily was biting her lip, rather than making sarcastic comments. How had he not noticed that before? That was unlike her. Usually if she wasn't fond of someone, she'd be very clear about it, but he was starting to get the feeling that Lily didn't like Peter either. He thought back to the previous day, where Lily and Sirius were joking around, and getting along really well.

Why didn't she say anything about not liking Peter?

After dinner, Remus and Peter left the Lupins, and went back to Peter's flat. Peter pulled out the wedding details, and they went through everything that was left to deal with.

"You can start on seating arrangements, and I'll call the caterer, and confirm the number of meals required," Peter said, shoving the chart into Remus' hands. Remus took it, and looked over the long list, which was divided into two. One for his family, and one for Peter's. He felt a small stab of dislike when he saw Sirius' name on Peter's side. He wanted to scribble Sirius' name out, and put it next to his family's.

He resisted the urge, and looked back at Sirius' name, wondering if he had a plus one to the wedding, but it was clear that Sirius was coming alone. His eyes trailed down the list, before moving to his own family list, and they lingered on Lily's name, as she didn't have a mention of a plus one next to her name. Clearly a mistake.

"You've forgotten to add Lily's plus one onto here," Remus mentioned, picking up the pen, ready to add it himself.

"I told her I needed a name last week," Peter said, pausing from dialing the phone to look at Remus. "She didn't get back to me, so I assumed that she didn't want the spot anymore."

Remus looked at him in surprise. So he had just taken Lily's plus one off the list, without even consulting him?

"But I thought we agreed it was fine to keep the spot open just in case," Remus said, softly. He didn't want to upset Peter. "I also would like to add a couple of friends to the list?"

"I think we have enough in numbers," Peter sighed. "We've planned everything around the 118, now 117 since Lily didn't get back to me with her date's name."

"I'm sure letting her bring a date, and a couple of friends won't be a massive inconvenience," Remus asked nervously. He already felt it was a losing battle. Maybe he could at least get Lily her date, surely Peter would compromise? He didn't really know the Longbottoms, they wouldn't be offended by not getting an invite, but he wanted James to come, because of Lily, and because of Sirius. Plus, James seemed really nice.

"It's not like the numbers have been confirmed yet, so there's still time to add them," Remus pushed.

Peter let out a long, loud sigh. "Lily can have her date," he said, "but who are these friends of yours?"

Remus picked up a pen, and wrote James' name next to Lily's on the guest list, with a smile. He looked up.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom," Remus replied, his pen hovering at the bottom of the list in anticipation. Maybe Peter would allow them to come after all.

Peter stared at him for a minute. "How do you know Frank and Alice?" He demanded.

"Sirius introduced us," Remus replied, feeling very unsure of what the problem was.

Peter was confused. "When did this happen?"

Remus was quite uncertain by his tone. It sounded like Peter was annoyed at him. "Last night. You see, we thought that Lily and James would hit it off, and wanted them to meet, so last night we all went to the pub, and –"

"So you lied to me," Peter snapped, cutting Remus off. "You told me at the Engagement party that you and Lily were going for drinks last night, and now you're sneaking around behind my back, meeting up with MY friend Sirius, and with James Potter and the Longbottoms?"

"I didn't know we were going to meet –" Remus began, quickly. "It's because when Sirius –"

"Don't tell me that James Potter is coming to my wedding?" Peter continued, as though Remus wasn't speaking.

"That's who Lily asked to be her –"

"Because he's not welcome at MY wedding," Peter interrupted, grabbing the pen and guest list from Remus, and violently crossing the name out.

"But he seems so friendly," Remus whispered.

"James Potter is a prick," shouted Peter. "I don't get you, Remus, why do you let him and the Longbottoms fool you? I didn't realise you were... stupid enough to fall for their crap. Maybe Sirius is, but I thought you were smarter than that."

Remus felt something stir inside him at Peter's words. Peter – his fiancé, had just called him stupid, he had just called Sirius stupid. Remus didn't know which one made him more angry.

"But Sirius isn't stupid, and neither am I," he said. He knew he sounded weak, and he hated it. Peter's gaze shifted back up to his.

"You are, Remus. You still hold these stupid insane ideas in your head. I'm trying to help you, I'm marrying you because I care about you. Having my name will stop some of your judgement at least, but you need to learn who you can trust, and that's me. Not, James, not the Longbottoms and not Sirius. Only me."

"But they want to be my friends?" Remus said, a cold feeling washing over him.

"Do they?" Peter spat. "A bunch of Aurors want to be friends with a Werewolf? I find that unlikely. I don't trust any of them when it comes to you."

"So you think they want to be my friends just to what? Watch me?" Remus asked, his voice shaking.

Peter stepped forward, his hands grasping Remus' arms roughly. Remus tried to pull away, but Peter's hands were digging in, hard.

It hurt.

"Stay away from them. Don't trust them. I'm the only person you can truly trust," he insisted.

"So, why is James after Lily?" He asked, aware of the fingers digging in harder. He let out a slight hiss of pain.

"Don't you see, Remus, it's because of you. James Potter is a horrible man, he's a nasty piece of work, and I don't like him near you, I don't want you to get hurt, Remus. I'm worried that you'll get attached, and these people will hurt you. He'll hurt Lily, by using her to get to you."

Remus couldn't think straight. He needed Lily. No, he needed Sirius, he needed to hear the truth. He was so confused because James seemed so honest, he had automatically trusted James, just like he trusted Sirius.

Surely, James couldn't have fooled everyone. Sirius and Lily both trusted James too, and Remus couldn't help trusting him. Also, Lily was an amazing judge of character, so maybe Peter just had it wrong. Maybe Peter was the only one who didn't like James?

But once he got onto that train of thought, he realised that Lily liked James and seemed to dislike Peter. He had only realised that day that Lily disliked him, and what did that say about Peter, really?

Lily also liked the Longbottoms. Who should he believe, Lily or Peter?

There was really no question about it. He knew Lily would never befriend anyone who looked down on him.

Peter just called him stupid, and was treating him like a misbehaving child. He was also hurting him. James, Alice and Frank were kind to him, they talked to him like a real person.

Alice had hugged him, Frank and James had shook his hand, and he had watched them carefully, there was no disgust in their eyes, just curiosity and kindness. He looked into Peter's eyes, and he couldn't see any kindness. Peter looked cruel at that moment, and Remus didn't understand where the sweet Peter who he had first met had gone.

He could hear the Wolf in his head, and the Wolf was angry. He was so used to ignoring it, that he forgot to listen to the Wolf's instincts, and the Wolf wanted them to get out of Peter's flat and away from him.

He wrenched himself backwards, out of Peters grasp, and went for his jacket, and pulled his arms into the sleeves.

"Where are you going?" Peter demanded, and Remus started towards the door.

"I need to see Lily," he said.

"Wait, I thought you were staying here tonight?" Peter asked. "You said you were staying here. I never get to spend time with you, Remus," he complained.

"Well, I need to see my best friend," he replied.

"Why can't you talk to me about this, every time you have a problem, you go running back to your family. We're going to be married, and we can't talk?"

"I want to know what Lily –"

"Lily can't fix our problems," Peter informed him.

"Yes, but –"

"But you're rushing back, instead of standing on your own two feet. That's all you do. In two weeks, I'm going to be your family, then what are you going to do? Go running to your mum and dad with every little problem. You won't be able to do that anymore. You have to grow up."

Remus could feel his anger flaring. He wasn't getting a word in, he wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he didn't like the way that Peter was treating him. Had Peter always been like this, and he had just never noticed?

"Stay here," Peter ordered.

Remus' hand hovered on the door, and he went to turn back and words came to mind.

"You are your own man," Alice had told him the previous night.

He turned back to look at Peter.

"James, Alice, Frank and Sirius are my friends, until proven otherwise," he whispered, before rushing through the door. He knew Peter would be angry, and didn't really want to face him after what had just happened.

He could hear Peter calling his name as he ran down the stairs, and out into the street. He rushed up the road, knowing Peter was following, as he turned the corner, he saw Peter rushing to catch him up, and heard his name being called. He reached the Apparition Point first.

He needed to get away, he needed Lily. No, Peter would follow him home. He needed... he had nowhere else to go.

Yes he did. He had friends now.

No matter what Peter said, he had Sirius. Sirius was his friend. Sirius wasn't pretending, because he had defended him to Benjy, even hitting the man. Sirius had sat down with his family for dinner. Most of all, when he reached inside to his Wolf, the Wolf was calm and content at the thought of the dark-haired Sex-God known as Sirius Black.

He Apparated to Sirius' area, and listened to his phone ring, without even taking it from his pocket. He walked fast to Sirius' flat. He knew Peter wouldn't follow him there, Peter would assume he had gone home.

Lily would deal with Peter. He reached into his pocket and turned his phone off.

**...oOo...**

He knocked on the door, and waited for an answer. It was James that opened the door, wearing a t-shirt and his boxers.

"Remus," he said, looking concerned. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Remus didn't know what to say to James. Peter's words rang loudly in his ears.

"Is Sirius here?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Look, mate, you look like something happened. You can't just stand there. Sirius isn't in, but come in, have a beer," he offered, taking Remus' arm and leading him inside, concerned for his new friend.

He gently pushed Remus into the comfortable armchair that Sirius usually occupied, and headed into the bedroom, grabbing some pyjama bottoms to put on, before walking into the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?"

Remus stared blankly ahead, not hearing the words, and James scooped up some of the dinner he had left over for Sirius, knowing Sirius would prefer Remus to have it. He would want James to look after Remus, and James would. Remus seemed like a nice guy, and something had clearly happened.

He set the plate on a tray, with a glass of orange juice, and brought the tray over, before collecting his own. Remus thanked him quietly, and began eating the food.

The food was finished, James brought the trays back into the kitchen, and Remus waited for him to take a seat before posing his question.

"Why do you want to be my friend?"

James jumped, he hadn't expected Remus to speak.

"Truthfully, at first it was because I think your friendship is good for Sirius. He doesn't trust people often, and he trusts you. After last night, finding out you're such a nice guy, now it's because I like you. I want you to be part of our group, because you just fit as though you were meant to be our friend. That's what you are, a friend to all of us."

"Why doesn't Sirius trust people?" Remus asked curiously.

James stood up and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. He opened one, and handed it to Remus, before sitting down on the sofa facing him.

"I'll give you the short story," James began. "You know what the Blacks are like – they believe themselves royalty. The most powerful family there is. Well, imagine growing up in that family – all you are taught is how Mudbloods aren't worthy to hold magic, Centaurs are half-breeds that should be slaughtered on sight, Vampires are evil, and Werewolves are mindless killing creatures. You believe it's true because it's your parents telling you, and you have no-one telling you otherwise."

James paused, trying to think of the best way to explain.

"Since he was small, Sirius struggled for his parents' affection, not that they had any to offer. Not a hug, or a pat on the head – nothing. He followed their rules, and believed what he was told. His cousins were his only 'friends' and they also believed the same. It wasn't until he attended Hogwarts that this changed."

Remus nodded.

"It was really when he met me. You see, my family are the opposite of his. I was raised to believe the best in everyone, and that's what I do. When I met Sirius Black, everyone else saw another member of the Black family, but I saw a boy the same age as me, as scared at starting as I was. Lonely because no-one wanted to talk to him, and relieved because he was put in Gryffindor house like me, instead of Slytherin like his family. He already had doubts about what they said, and was relieved to have some sense of freedom from them."

"Didn't he like them?"

James shook his head. "You have to remember how twisted in the head Bellatrix is, she used to cast some pretty nasty hexes on Sirius, just for fun."

Remus looked shocked, and James got back to what he was saying.

"Do you know that Sirius actually thought Muggleborns were called Mudbloods? He didn't realise it was an insult, he honestly thought that's what they were referred to as. It took a few months for him to come to terms with Muggleborns, and once he realised that they were just the same as the rest of us, he stood up in the Great Hall, and made a public apology to anyone he had called a Mudblood. Slowly, he realised that his parents and family were wrong, and the more that he rebelled against their words, the more he suffered at their hands, beatings, starving him, locking him in his room for weeks on end, not even letting him leave to use the bathroom."

Remus couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So what did he do?"

"Nothing. The doors were sealed, and the house elf would appear sometimes with food – not every day though. Sometimes he'd wake up and the room would be cleaned again, sometimes it was like that for over a week. I'm just surprised they didn't drive him to insanity with everything he's endured." James gave Remus a moment to take in what he had said.

"Then we decided to venture into the forest, and we met a Centaur. Sirius decided that it would be his friend. The Centaur – Firenze seemed quite amused at his questions. Sirius went as far as telling Firenze that his parents were wrong about Centaurs, and he thought Firenze was really smart. When his parents found out, they took him out of school, and he went to a different one, that's how he met Peter."

"He befriended a Centaur," Remus said, with a smile.

James laughed. "Sirius was always a brave one. I wasn't so certain walking around that forest at fourteen was such a good idea myself. So me and Sirius fell out because of Peter, and didn't speak for a couple of years, and then when I was sixteen, Sirius turned up at my house, bags packed, in tears. We never spoke of the argument, and he transferred back to Hogwarts. He hasn't spoken to his family, except one uncle and a cousin, since. His Uncle never agreed with his parents, and has also been disowned from the family, and his cousin, Andromeda, married a Muggleborn guy, by the name of Ted Tonks, and had a daughter. She's a blood traitor, and disowned too, as is their daughter, Nymphadora."

"What happened for him to come to yours?" Remus asked curiously. "Oh, you don't have to answer," he quickly added.

James shook his head. "It's fine. His parents wanted him to take the Dark Mark."

"His parents?" Remus asked, aghast.

James nodded. "That's why he doesn't trust people, because when he said no, his own parents turned their wands on him and tortured him. He spent his life suffering at the hands of the people who should have loved and cared for him. No-one in the family stepped in to help him, Andy and his Uncle had already been disowned, and in the end the only person he had that could help him was me. So when I found out that he trusts you... I realised you must have made an amazing impression on him to gain that."

"I wouldn't trust anyone either," Remus whispered. "I am shocked he trusted me so easily, I don't know what I've done right!"

"I think he just sensed something about you from the moment he met you, something told him he could trust you. Remus, whatever doubts you came here with, Sirius would trust you with his life. Me, Sirius, Alice and Frank – we're your friends. None of us judge you on being a Werewolf, none of us think you're evil, or a spy for You-Know-Who, or anything else. We just want your friendship."

Remus searched his eyes for a minute, and finally nodded. He believed James. His Wolf was content with what James was saying, and that was rare, as the Wolf had snarled when Peter had spoken.

"I just wanted to be sure that you all really wanted to be my friends," Remus said, looking calmer and happier than when James had first seen him on the other side of the door.

"Is there a reason you doubted it?" James asked, his voice soft. "I can understand with prejudice, how you'd be concerned, but I had hoped last night we had shown that your Lycanthropy didn't make a difference to us."

"It was just, I was with Peter, and I..." he trailed off as a flash of anger crossed James' face.

"Peter doesn't trust us." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Remus looked down again, James was angry, he didn't like when people were angry at him.

"Listen, Remus, no matter what Peter thinks, we're your friends. You are always welcome here. In fact, that's where me and Sirius were this morning, we put in a request to have your address set up to ours on the Floo. Sirius went to your house a couple of hours ago to tell your dad, and last I checked, Sirius had texted me when they both went to the Ministry so your dad could approve the request. We –"

James was cut off by his phone ringing, and he pulled it out. He looked at the name, and pressed the speaker button.

"Mate, I'm with Lily," came a panicked voice, "and I've been on the phone to Peter. Remus is missing. He left Peter's and never arrived home, where he told Peter he was going. His phone is off, we've all been trying him, I don't even know where to begin looking. Get dressed and come and help me. I've already called Frank and Alice, and they're going to check the pub and Diagon Alley, I'm going to Hogsmeade, can you go find your dad at work and ask around the Ministry, in case he went there. Lily is checking the local area, libraries and bookshops and coffee shops and stuff. His mum is waiting at home in case he returns, and John is going to check St. Mungo's. We need your help too."

"Why?" James asked.

"Because we're his friends, why else? What if something happened to him – someone might have attacked him, he could have been in an accident or something. His parents are worried, Lily is upset –"

"It's alright, Sirius, I'm here," Remus said.

There was a long silence. "Thank Merlin," Sirius finally whispered.

"Don't tell Peter where I am, please," he added, softly.

"I won't," he confirmed. "Peter went home, just in case you returned. He said that you got angry at him, you were shouting, and you stormed out, he seemed pretty shaken mate, are you alright?"

"He said what?" Remus said, in shock. "He was the one that got angry at me," he whispered. "I didn't storm out, I just didn't like... I didn't storm out."

"Mate, the state Remus was in when he turned up looking for you, there was no way he was angry and storming out of places," James agreed. "I can't see Remus acting like that."

"Yeah, Lily said that Remus wouldn't shout at Peter and storm out. Her and Peter got into a bit of an argument over it, actually. Your name came up, James." Sirius said, sounding confused. "Sounds like a misunderstanding. Do you want me to cancel –"

"Sirius, it's alright, me and James were chatting, getting to know each other. You don't need to cancel your plans, I'll see you later or tomorrow for the tux fitting."

"Okay," Sirius said, sounding uncertain. "Sorry I panicked."

"Also, I gave Remus your dinner, so you'll have to cook after all," James said.

"That's fine," Sirius replied, as James smirked at Remus' panicked face. "Glad you're taking care of him. See you later."

James hung up the phone.

"Peter doesn't think we're really your friends, but I think that proves that you mean a great deal to Sirius, the fact that he's only known you for a couple of days, yet you've made such a big impression on him, that he's organising your search party."

"When I left, I told Peter that you were all my friends unless proved otherwise," Remus told him.

"Do you wanna talk about what happened, or would you rather take your mind off it?" James asked, not wanting to push in case Remus didn't want to talk about it. He knew that Remus would be more likely to tell him, if he didn't feel pushed into doing it.

"Take my mind off it," Remus confirmed, and James grinned.

"How about we switch the PlayStation on, and have some more beer then?"

Remus returned the grin. "Is that a PlayStation 4 I see?"

"Yes it is, and because I'm feeling generous, I'll let you be player one." James turned on the PlayStation and made Remus his own profile, under Sirius' and James' names. "Because I know you'll be coming back to play it again," he confirmed, opening the large cabinet, to show the large amount of games.

"So, Remus, what game do you want to try first?"

**...oOo...**

Three hours passed on the PlayStation, before Remus spoke up.

"Peter was very angry that you were invited to the wedding."

James watched him in silence. It was something he had done when Sirius used to come to him, about his family. He always got more out of Sirius by staying silent.

"Actually, the problem began with me mentioning that there was no plus-one for Lily on the guest list, even though there should have been, and it escalated from there. He said I was stupid for falling for your crap. He was shouting at me, he was angry, James. Nothing like he usually is. He accused me of sneaking around behind his back with HIS friend, Sirius and the rest of you, when I had told him it was just me and Lily, because I forgot to tell him that my plans changed last minute."

Remus was silent for a few seconds, but James was already understanding what had happened, and why Remus was here.

"He grabbed my arms, really hard, and kept telling me that he's the only person I could trust... but I got to thinking that Lily is the best judge of character I know, and she likes you, Sirius and the Longbottoms, and she doesn't like Peter. I thought maybe Peter had it wrong, and when I tried to leave to see Lily, Peter complained that he doesn't get enough time with me, he said I can't keep running back to my family every time I have a problem, and tried to order me to stay there, so I opened the door and ran, and he followed, but I got to the Apparation Point first. That's why I turned off my phone, and didn't go home."

James gave him a minute, but he had finished speaking.

"Remus, it's not a secret that me and Peter don't like each other, and I'm not saying what I'm about to say because of my dislike for Peter, I'm saying it because you're my friend and I don't like what I just heard."

"What is it?" Remus asked, softly.

"Mate, I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg, but he sounds very controlling. He doesn't want you to have new friends, he's calling you names, he's angry that you have plans outside your life with him – but I'm betting he has mates that he drinks with and doesn't tell you all his own plans. Where did he grab you?"

Remus' eyes fell to the floor for a moment, and James sighed, taking Remus' arm and pulling up the sleeves, revealing bruises where Peter's fingers had dug in.

"Remus, this isn't acceptable. It's not right, him doing this to you."

Remus wouldn't look at him.

"The only time you should have bruises like this, is in the bedroom," he tried to joke, which caused a ghost of a smile across Remus' lips, and his eyes moved up to James', to see the concern in his eyes.

"He's never acted like this before," Remus said. "He's never shouted or made me feel so low before. I don't understand where the nice sweet Peter has disappeared to."

"Couples shout at each other sometimes, they have arguments sometimes, they do not grab each other like that, and be cruel and call names, especially at someone who didn't shout back. Couples don't just land abuse on the one who is being quiet. If the tables were reversed, how would you have handed the situation? If Peter was friends with someone you didn't get along with? If Peter's plans changed and he never told you?"

"I would have spoken to him and told him I wasn't happy if that was the case," Remus said.

"You wouldn't have shouted at him, or left fingerprint indents in his arms though, would you?"

Remus shook his head. "But, Peter was only –"

"How would you feel if Lily told you I done this to her?"

"I'd hurt you," came Remus' immediate reply. "I wouldn't stand for anyone treating Lily like that."

"Exactly," James said, taking a deep breath. "You won't defend yourself, and you want to make excuses for Peter's behaviour, but the fact that you'd hurt me if I'd done it to Lily, shows that you know this behaviour was completely unacceptable."

Remus stayed silent. He knew James was right.

"Remus, you need to realise that he sounds really controlling. You wanted to go home, he tried to guilt you into staying with him. You went out with friends, he made you feel bad. You wanted me to come to the wedding, he didn't even take your feelings into consideration. He made you feel like people don't want to be your friends, and that's not very nice. He called you stupid."

"I told him I wasn't, and he insisted I was," Remus whispered. "He said that Sirius was stupid too."

"It's a shame he doesn't have the same amount of loyalty for his friends that Sirius does," James muttered, before looking up. "Remus, the problem is that things are different for you, you mate for life, and I get the feeling that you haven't mated with Peter yet?"

Remus shook his head, blushing. "I was waiting for the wedding," he admitted.

"You're picking someone to spend the rest of your life with, and Peter isn't showing stability or kindness," James said, hoping to get through to Remus.

This wasn't about Sirius anymore, it was about Remus being mistreated, and not realising that he shouldn't have to put up with it. "He's been nasty, and I suggest you put some thought into the way he's treating you, and whether that's going to be your life after the wedding, Remus. You're giving him the power in the relationship, and I'm worried that this is just the start of it. Because once you've chosen him as your mate, that's it. That's your final choice."

Remus nodded. "I understand what you're saying," he whispered.

"Okay, now I can tell you don't want to hear anymore, so next time I go on, feel free to tell me to shut up," James grinned. "Another beer? Or maybe you want to play the game some more?"

Remus shook his head. "I better get back home," he replied, looking up at the clock.

"Whatever happens, you'll still have us," James said. "If you ever need to chat, or just wanna hang out, let me know. We're friends."

"Thank you," Remus said, walking over to the Floo. "You've helped a lot. I'm glad we're friends."

James picked up a bag of Floo powder, and offered it to Remus. "Let me know her reaction to the flowers," he requested, before Remus took a scoop, stepped into the fireplace, and headed home.

His mum rushed over when he came through the Floo. "I was worried."

"I was at Sirius', with James," he replied. "I'm sorry, I turned my phone off, I didn't want Peter to call me."

"Next time, just drop us a text first or an owl so we know you aren't hurt, Sirius was panicking, organising search parties and calling people."

"He was doing that here?"

Hope nodded. "He was so concerned about you. Peter wasn't even here for five minutes, Peter insisted that you would be back soon and went home. It was Lily that called Sirius, asking if he had heard from you, and Sirius rushed over. Sirius was really concerned about you. He was so worried that someone had hurt you, or something had happened."

Remus didn't know what to say. His own fiancé wasn't bothered, and a guy he had known for only a couple of days, was clearly really concerned about him. That said a lot, didn't it?

An hour later, Peter got an owl.

_'James Potter WILL be attending OUR wedding, so will Alice and Frank Longbottom. I am sure we can find space, since my side has such low numbers. If there is a concern in money, my parents have offered to cover it themselves._

_I will speak to you when you are ready to apologise for your actions.'_

Later that evening, Remus received texts from James and Alice, thanking them for the invites.

Remus smiled, knowing that Peter must have sent them. Maybe this argument was a one-off after all.

* * *

><p><strong>You all know how much I love reviews, so pop your comments in the box for me!<strong>

**Now that you've reached the end, and are probably looking for something else to read, I suggest you check out Hato-ryou-chan's stories. Ancient Ties (if you haven't already) and Completely Random Happenstance (which is new.)**

**So, Peter is getting worse, isn't he? Trying to make out to Sirius that Remus isn't as nice as he seems, and trying to tell Remus that they don't really want to be his friends. Who here hates Peter?**

**Also, I have about 6 WolfStar stories :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, this has been hard to write. Due to writers block, I've decided to write the last chapter in Sirius' POV. It came out the complete opposite than I expected, so hopefully that makes the next chapter easier to write!**

* * *

><p><strong>Last Chapter:<strong>

_"But they want to be my friends?" Remus said, a cold feeling washing over him._

_"Do they?" Peter spat. "A bunch of Aurors want to be friends with a Werewolf? I find that unlikely. I don't trust any of them when it comes to you."_

_"So you think they want to be my friends just to what? Watch me?" Remus asked, his voice shaking._

_Peter stepped forward, his hands grasping Remus' arms roughly. Remus tried to pull away, but Peter's hands were digging in, hard._

_It hurt._

_..._

_"I just wanted to be sure that you all really wanted to be my friends," Remus said, looking calmer and happier than when James had first seen him on the other side of the door._

_"Is there a reason you doubted it?" James asked, his voice soft. "I can understand with prejudice, how you'd be concerned, but I had hoped last night we had shown that your Lycanthropy didn't make a difference to us."_

_"It was just, I was with Peter, and I..." he trailed off as a flash of anger crossed James' face._

_"Peter doesn't trust us." It wasn't a question, it was a statement._

* * *

><p>Sirius sat with his phone in his hand. He was desperate to text Remus, but wasn't quite certain of what to say to him. Would Remus think it a bit strange if Sirius kept texting? He debated for a little while, before he realised he was unable to put the phone down. He couldn't stop himself.<p>

_'Hey Remus, everyone had fun last night. James, Frank and Alice all want your number. Should I pass it on? Sirius xx'_

It was only a minute before a reply came, and Sirius' face lit up even before he read it.

"Remus?" James asked, and Sirius nodded.

_'I had a great time too. The most fun I've had in ages, actually. Yeah, if they want it, they can have it. I'll speak to my dad when I'm out of bed and let you know what time the tux fitting is.'_

Remus was still in bed? Sirius wondered briefly if he wore clothes to bed, or if he just wore boxers? The inevitable thought of a naked Remus crossed his mind, and he quickly pushed it aside, typing out another message.

**...oOo...**

"Have a beer before you go, Sirius," John offered, and Sirius nodded. "Yeah sure, I'm off to my cousin's house, but I have a little while before I need to be there."

John went through to the kitchen, and grabbed them both a beer.

"So... is Remus here?" Sirius asked, hoping he didn't sound too obvious.

"Sorry dear, he went with Peter," Hope said, grimacing slightly at his name.

He glanced at Lily. "Peter was here for dinner, and let's just say it went as awful as usual. I mean, it wouldn't hurt him to at least try making conversation. Merlin knows we all try to talk to him, and get barely any response. He could at least pretend to be happy to be around us, but it's clear he can't stand any of us."

Sirius' gaze moved back to Hope and John, expecting them to disagree, but neither of them commented.

"But... I had dinner here yesterday, and I had a great time?" Sirius said.

"Yeah, because you don't hate us," Lily replied. "Peter barely even speaks to me, whereas when you were here for dinner yesterday, we were all getting along brilliantly."

Sirius glanced around at the three, wanting to tell them that Peter didn't hate them, but from their expressions, it seemed they all agreed the same thing. He knew that John and Hope were sensible people and wouldn't just make assumptions, they would have a reason to think that.

"Why is Remus with Peter if he hates you lot? I mean, I can understand if I was with someone and them hating my family, because they're all a bunch of evil pure-blood supremacists, but you're so nice... and Remus is so close to you. Shouldn't he be with someone who gets along with you all? You know, someone who gets along... brilliantly with you?"

"Could you be any more obvious," Lily mumbled, low enough that only John could hear her. John hid his smile.

"Because our son thinks that Peter is the best he can do," Hope sighed. "Our Remus is a wonderful, sweet boy, but his condition makes it hard for him to meet people. He lacks confidence, and instead of choosing the best man, he chose the first man, one that just doesn't treat him as we want our son to be treated."

It was Lily's turn to hide a smile. Hope had deliberately said 'best man' instead of 'right man' which were the words she always used when having a rant about it in the house. They all wanted Remus to choose the best man.

"If he doesn't love Peter, why doesn't he wait? He'll meet someone else."

"Because he's scared of ending up alone," John explained. "We're not asking a lot, we just want someone who truly loves our son, and we know would make him happy. Someone who is at least polite and respectful to us, and someone who is kind towards Lily. We just want him to be happy and we don't think Peter is right for him."

"But when it comes down to it, it's really Remus' choice, and we can't stop him from living his life, even if it's with Peter."

Sirius hesitated for a long time, his teeth nibbling into his bottom lip.

"I can't imagine Remus being alone for long, though," he finally muttered. "He's something else, he's really special."

"The biggest problem is his Lycanthropy," Lily jumped in. "It means he 'mates' with someone, so when he shags them, it's for life. I don't want him stuck with that horrible, nasty little sh-"

"Lily," Hope said.

"Right, well, why couldn't he have ended up with someone like you?"

"I... don't know," Sirius replied, wondering the same thing. Why did Peter get to meet him first? Because if he had met Remus first, he would be the one to be marrying him. He went quiet, as he thought about himself in Peter's place, having dinner with Remus and his family, holding Remus in his arms afterwards, kissing him, going back to their flat, and getting into bed together, and just knowing that Remus was his, and he was Remus' and being so happy to have the other man in his arms.

"Sirius darling, do you want a sandwich before you go?" Hope interrupting, seeing the pensive look on Sirius' face.

"Huh, oh... no, thank you, Mrs Lu..." he stumbled over his words, before catching the look on her face. "Hope, I don't want to put you out. I was going to head home for something to eat and then to my cousin's house... the nice cousin - the other blood-traitor, Andromeda."

"It's no trouble at all," she insisted. "I have chicken, or turkey?"

"If you insist, chicken would be wonderful, thank you," he replied.

Hope and John headed into the kitchen, and Lily headed upstairs with a quick "I need the loo" and Sirius heard a knock at the door. He looked towards the stairs, but Lily didn't emerge, and he went and looked through the peephole, to see Peter on the other side.

He opened the door, and Peter stared at him.

"I suppose Remus called you and told you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, can you tell Remus I need to speak to him?"

"Remus isn't here. I was told he was with you."

Peter walked past him, into the house. "Well he has to be here," he said.

Lily emerged from the stairs at the sound of Peter's voice, and frowned upon seeing him. "What happened?"

"We had a disagreement about the wedding and he got angry and stormed out," Peter said, trying to look upset.

Lily walked further into the room. "Bullshit," she said, her hands on her hips. "Try again."

"Like I said, he got angry -"

"Remus doesn't get angry," Lily replied, her eyes narrowed.

"We disagreed about the wedding," Peter said.

"Oh, you mean Remus finally stood up for himself and made a choice himself and you didn't like it?" Lily snapped.

"If you must know, it's because of you," he snapped in return. "We had a disagreement about a certain guest."

"I was told I could have a plus one, I didn't realise that there were restrictions," Lily replied, glaring at him.

"Well, Remus wasn't pleased when I said Potter couldn't come, that's why he -"

"No it's not," Lily replied.

"How would you know, you weren't there?"

"Because I've known Remus for ten years. He's kept his temper over a lot worse, and I know he wouldn't lose his temper over this, no, it's something else."

"And Sirius has known me for years, and knows I wouldn't have done anything, isn't that right, Sirius?"

Sirius opened his mouth and closed it again. He honestly didn't know what to think. Remus wasn't the type to storm out over something so small. Either he didn't storm out, or something else had happened to cause it.

"Don't drag Sirius into this, he's both yours and Remus' friend, don't make him get stuck in the middle. What the fuck did you do to upset my best friend? I want the truth!"

"He stormed out," Peter shouted. "All because of you whoring yourself out to James Potter, it's disgusting -"

Sirius stepped forward at the words, and grabbed Peter's shoulder. "That's enough," he snapped at the smaller man. Peter had no right to say something like that to Lily. Before either of them could say anything more, a fist collided with Peter's face. "I am not whoring myself out for anyone, you disgusting little man," she growled. "You make me sick, I don't know why Remus is even with you, if he could see how horrible you really are -"

"I think that's enough, Lily," Sirius said, watching Peter hold his face, and stare at Lily in shock. "I think we need to focus on the fact that Remus isn't with Peter, and he isn't here, and we need to find him. That should be the priority right now."

Lily took a breath, and nodded.

"Well, I'll go back to mine, in case he turns up," Peter said, and glaring at Lily, he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

"Bloody hell, he's really changed, hasn't he?" Sirius said, shocked. He pulled out his phone and attempted to call Remus. His phone was off.

"Does he ever turn his phone off?"

Lily shook her head. "Nope, he's funny about charging it every night just so it doesn't die. He wouldn't just turn it off for no reason."

"Okay, let's work out what to do," Sirius said. He frowned at the front door again. "I just... isn't he worried about Remus?"

Lily shrugged. "Doesn't seem to be," she replied. "This isn't like Remus. He never just disappears. If he was going somewhere, or had a problem, it's guaranteed that I'd have a text from him. He tells me everything."

Sirius felt even more worried. What if something had happened? Once that thought crossed his mind, he couldn't let go.

"Right, we go looking for him," he said. "You know what... this isn't right." He pulled out his phone again.

"Pete, aren't you even worried about him?" Sirius asked, as Peter answered his phone. "He's your fiancé, you should be worried that something has happened to him!"

"He's a grown up and can take care of himself," Peter replied. "I thought he might come back here to make up or apologise or something, so it's best I wait here."

"Remus doesn't seem the sort to -"

"That's the thing isn't it, Sirius? You've known him for a few days, whereas I'm his fiancé. I know him better than you."

"You don't know him better than Lily. Bloody hell, Pete, you've changed. You never used to be this... this... apathetic and unfeeling."

"They mean the same thing," Lily muttered quietly from behind him. Sirius chose to ignore her, focusing on his conversation with Peter.

"Look, we fell out and he stormed off, Sirius. What do you expect me to do? I've done nothing wrong -"

"Doesn't matter if you've done something wrong or not - he was upset enough to leave your place, and you followed him here, so there must have been something you wanted to say to him, yet you've just fucked off back home."

"You don't understand, Sirius," came the hostile tones.

"You're right, I really don't understand. Fuck this, I'll find him myself... that's what friends are for. Don't think I'm letting this drop, Peter."

He hung up his phone, wishing it was one of the telephones so he could slam it down. He quickly tried Remus. His phone was still off.

"Okay, Hope, you stay here in case he comes back. He might be out for a walk or something. John, you go to St. Mungo's, if he's there, it's better for family to go. Lily, what does Remus like doing?"

"Reading, he does go to the library often," she offered.

"Okay, you look around the local area, libraries, bookshops and wherever you think he could be."

He pulled out his phone, and called Frank.

"Hey, Remus is missing. Can you go check the pub and look around Diagon Alley?"

"Yeah, we're in the pub now, he's definitely not here, we'll head out to Diagon Alley and look now."

"Thanks mate," he replied, then dialled James' number.

"Mate, I'm with Lily, and I've been on the phone to Peter. Remus is missing. He left Peter's and never arrived home, where he told Peter he was going. His phone is off, we've all been trying him, I don't even know where to begin looking. Get dressed and come and help me. I've already called Frank and Alice, and they're going to check the pub and Diagon Alley. I'm going to Hogsmeade, can you go find your dad at work and ask around the Ministry, in case he went there? Lily is checking the local area, libraries and bookshops and coffee shops and stuff. His mum is waiting at home in case he returns, and John is going to check St. Mungo's. We need your help too."

"Why?" James asked.

Why? Did James just really ask him why? He was going to punch that idiot when he saw him.

"Because we're his friends, why else? What if something happened to him – someone might have attacked him, he could have been in an accident or something. His parents are worried, Lily is upset –"

He paused when he heard Remus' voice on the other end.

"It's alright, Sirius, I'm here."

Sirius looked around at Lily, Hope and John, and he smiled, pointing at the phone. "Thank Merlin," he whispered.

"Don't tell Peter where I am, please," Remus asked, and he sounded scared.

"I won't," he confirmed. "Peter went home, just in case you returned. He said that you got angry at him, you were shouting, and you stormed out, he seemed pretty shaken, mate, are you alright?" He wasn't going to tell them that Peter had insulted Lily and gotten in her face either... or that Lily had punched him, though he did deserve it. Peter really needed to learn how to talk to people and not piss off feisty redheads.

"He said what? He was the one that got angry at me. I didn't storm out, I just didn't like... I didn't storm out."

Now, that wasn't fake. He knew he could believe Remus. Everything about it - the shock in his voice, for example, just told him that Peter was the one in the wrong.

"Mate, the state Remus was in when he turned up looking for you, there was no way he was angry and storming out of places," James agreed. "I can't see Remus acting like that."

"Yeah, Lily said that Remus wouldn't shout at Peter and storm out. Her and Peter got into a bit of an argument over it, actually. Your name came up, James." Sirius said. "Sounds like a misunderstanding. Do you want me to cancel –"

He had wanted to say 'bullshit' instead of 'misunderstanding', the same thing Lily had said, but he also wanted to get to the bottom of what had happened. No matter what Peter said about knowing Remus better, Sirius just knew that Remus wouldn't storm out, shouting. Maybe Peter didn't know him well at all.

"Sirius, it's alright, me and James were chatting, getting to know each other. You don't need to cancel your plans, I'll see you later, or tomorrow for the tux fitting."

"Okay, sorry I panicked."

"Also, I gave Remus your dinner, so you'll have to cook after all."

"That's fine," Sirius replied, with a smile. "Glad you're taking care of him. See you later."

He put his phone back in his pocket and turned to the Lupins, not sure what to say.

"Remus is at yours?" Hope asked, and Sirius nodded.

"It's a good thing he sought out James," John said.

"Oh, he went there looking for me, according to James," Sirius said, with a smile on his lips. He liked knowing that when Remus needed someone, he was right at the top of that list.

He quickly snapped out of it, and looked around again.

"Remus sounded really worried about something," Sirius said. "James said he was a state when he turned up, there was no way he shouted at Peter. So Peter's lying... it makes sense, Peter never liked James, so he possibly freaked out at James coming to the wedding and upset Remus. He also didn't want Peter to know where he is."

"You better let Frank and Alice know that he's safe," Lily said, and Sirius pulled out his phone, and quickly texted, before sinking down onto the sofa.

"That was quick work, organising everyone," John said.

"Auror training," Sirius replied. "I don't get it, when did Pete turn out like this? Back at school, he would never raise his voice at anyone, I was always having to intervene when he was getting bullied, and now... now he's so different. I've barely spoken to him, and I honestly don't know why he picked me to be his best man over all his other friends."

Hope handed him the plate she had been holding with the sandwich.

"Thank you, Hope," Sirius said, smiling at her. "I hope Remus realises how lucky he is having a mum like you."

Hope smiled back. "He does," she confirmed.

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><p><em>So, Peter was supposed to fool Sirius a bit better, leaving him more confused, but instead he started to show his true colours. It fit better, because James would be worried and would tell Sirius.<em>

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><p><strong>Review Please.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry it's taken so long. I've struggled with all my MC's. I've written quite a few One-Shots, so feel free to take a look at them as you wait for more chapters. Hopefully I'll start getting more regular updates soon!**

**I own nothing.**

**Thanks you Michy-Drarry-Shipper for being my beta for this story :)**

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><p>James thought about the day he had just experienced. He realised that although he had only known Remus for less than a day, he had actually grown quite fond of the softly spoken Werewolf. He did consider Remus his friend, and this wasn't just about getting Sirius and Remus together... it was also about stopping Remus making a massive mistake in marrying a man who would only hurt him.<p>

A man who would never love him - not like Sirius already did.

He couldn't stop thinking back to the way Sirius looked at Remus; he had never seen that look on his friend's face before. Sirius wasn't big on love, but had never used the word before. The fact that he described how he felt about Remus as love told James a lot about the situation.

But he was stuck. What would he tell Sirius? Remus was his friend now, and he wouldn't break a friend's confidence, especially as he realised that keeping this to himself would allow Remus to come and talk to him when he needed someone.

Sirius was the key to Remus' happiness. Remus needed proper love, not whatever Peter was offering.

Sirius' feelings were the real thing, and Sirius deserved to be in love, and be with the man he was in love with. He liked how his best friend lit up at the mention of Remus' name, and the soft and caring look on his face when he spoke about the other man.

James believed in soulmates and true love, and he believed that finding your soulmate meant being complete. Finding your other half, the part of you that was missing.

But for that to happen, it would mean that the other person would feel the same. Therefore, if Sirius felt like this for Remus, Remus must feel something for Sirius, even if he didn't realise what it was.

If Peter wasn't in the picture, Sirius and Remus would be together without a doubt.

Peter was clouding Remus' true feelings for Sirius.

So the answer was simple. Remus needed to see who Peter really was. He would realise that Peter wasn't good enough and as the feelings of affection (because Remus can't love them both - true love doesn't work like that) lessened, he would wake up to his feelings for Sirius.

The wedding would be called off.

Remus and Sirius would be mated, possibly married, if that was what Remus wanted, and they would get their own place.

He felt sad at the thought of losing his best friend from their home, but Sirius would be happy and that was what mattered most.

Unless they both lived in the flat. Yes, that would work nicely.

The four of them, because Lily would follow too.

On that note, he pulled out his phone to call her.

...oOo...

"Sirius, you've been quiet," Andromeda said, clearing up the glasses and plates. "What's on your mind?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I'm confused, Andy."

Her gaze flicked to her daughter who was doodling in a notebook as she waited to be excused from the dining table.

"Dora, you're excused. Would you like to go watch a movie for a little while?"

Dora nodded, gathering up her pens and notebook and heading out of the room.

Andromeda put the plates and cups into the sink and headed out the back door into the garden, where Ted was having a smoke. They took a seat on the patio furniture, able to see Dora was fine through the French windows of the sitting room.

"What's wrong?" Andy asked.

"Well, I've found myself in a situation I've never been in before," Sirius began.

Andy looked worried. "Is it money troubles? I can help if -"

"I'm in love," Sirius interrupted.

"That's good, isn't it?" Ted asked.

"Well, it depends on how you look at it," Sirius replied.

"Okay, so what's the problem, did you accidentally fall for a woman?" Andy teased.

"That would have been easier," he replied, rolling his eyes. She clearly wasn't taking this seriously.

"No," Sirius said. "He's amazing. His name is Remus. I met him at an engagement party a few days ago and we hit it off immediately. You could say it was love at first sight. I can't keep my mind off him. He's fun to be around, and he gets on brilliantly with James, Frank and Alice. I even ended up being invited by his parents for dinner, and we all got along great."

"Well, isn't this all good?" Andy asked. "I'm failing to see the problem."

"I'm just waiting for Sirius to say 'but'," Ted said.

"There is a but. There is a massive one, and it's not that he's a Werewolf because I honestly don't care about that. I know he's a good person, he's not doing anything dark."

Andy looked shocked for a moment, but gestured for him to continue.

"The party... it was Remus' engagement party," Sirius blurted out. "He's marrying my friend, Peter, in a couple of weeks."

Andy let out a loud sigh. "Then there isn't anything you can do," she said. "He's made his choice already and is he worth breaking your friendship?"

Sirius nodded his head.

"I'm at a loss," Ted said. "You were at dinner with his family?"

"His dad asked for help for Remus' stag-do. They asked me to stay for dinner. I invited him and his best friend, Lily, who lives with them, out for drinks afterwards. I thought she'd be perfect for James."

Ted nodded. "So, you've befriended him?"

"I was just trying to be a good friend, but turns out Peter isn't being very nice to him," Sirius said. "Remus' parents are convinced that Peter hates them. Earlier, he came looking for Remus, who he claimed had shouted at him and stormed out. When Lily disagreed..." Sirius shook his head, still shocked at the behaviour. "When she disagreed, he accused her of whoring herself out to James and being the cause of the argument. Remus isn't the type to argue, and what I saw of Peter today, I think he was the one getting angry, causing Remus to leave and go missing."

"Missing?"

"Oh, he's alright now. I haven't spoken to him, but it turns out he disappeared to mine after their fight and James was there. He's there with James right now. James said with the state Remus was in, there was no chance that he was the one causing issues. I know Peter lied, I just don't know what to do now. Had it been someone I didn't know, I'd have talked Remus out of the wedding."

"Is that all?" Andy asked softly.

"No," Sirius replied. "After the shouting, I said we should be more concerned about finding Remus, and Peter honestly didn't seem to care. He went home. He wasn't concerned at all... it's like I just get the impression that Remus doesn't mean much to him."

"If he doesn't treat Remus as he deserves, then the answer is simple," Ted said. "You take Remus away and make him happy yourself. We all know that you'd treat him right."

"You think I should?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"If you were talking about James, I'd say no, but Peter is a different story. He's not your best friend. You do realise that you can only get one of them. If you pick Peter, you'll have to stand by and watch him be with Remus forever... just being friends, and if he treats Remus bad, there is nothing you can do about it... or you could take Remus away. You'll lose Peter, but you'll have your true love. What are the chances you'll find another true love?"

Sirius stared at him, trying to work out what to do.

"Werewolves mate for life. If he marries Peter and mates with him, there is no hope left. There is no chance for Remus to leave Peter for you, because it's a life bond for him," Andy added. "You barely mention Peter anymore, so I doubt you hear a lot from him. So it's not a massive loss. You need to be aware of the fact that if you choose him, you and Remus will be together forever."

"I know," Sirius said.

"Are they in love?" Ted asked.

Sirius shook his head. "No, Peter doesn't act like a man in love, and Hope, John and Lily all think that Remus just stuck with the first guy that wanted him because he thought as a Werewolf, he would end up alone."

"But you love him," Andy pointed out.

"Yes, I know that without a doubt. If I had met him first, back when he was single, I'd not have any doubts about this... but he's engaged to my friend."

"He's not bonded, married or mated to him though."

"What should I do? Should I tell him how I feel?"

"No. Leave that as a last resort," Andy said. "I think you should prove to him that you are a better man than Peter. Once you do, then tell him."

"She's right. Get him to fall in love with you too. You have until he's married."

"No," Andy said. "You have until he's bonded. A Werewolf mating with someone else would break the marriage bond. The mating bond is stronger."

...oOo...

"Is Remus still here?"

"Nah, he left about half an hour ago," James replied, saving his game.

"Why is Remus so scared of him? What happened? What was he like when he got here?"

"I can't say," James said. "I can't tell, Remus told me in confidence."

"But I need to know. I need to see what's happening so I can protect him, so I can prove I'm more worthy of him than Peter is. I need to protect him."

...oOo...

After Sirius had left, and when Dora was in bed, Andy pulled a mirror out of a drawer. She called her sisters name and before long, she was looking at her.

"Cissy," she said, smiling.

"Andy?"

"I want to call in a favour," Andy said.

"Of course," Narcissa agreed. "What do you need?"

"I need information. I want to know what you or Lucius can find out about two individuals."

"Their names?"

"Remus Lupin - Werewolf, and his fiancé, Peter Pettigrew."

"This sounds like a small favour," Narcissa pointed out. "What is the problem with the Werewolf?"

"It's not Remus that I'm worried about. I just want to find out the reason Peter Pettigrew is doing this. He's not in love with him, and he's a Pureblood. I don't understand. There has to be something on one of them that you can find out for me? I have a source saying that Remus is trustworthy. It's more what Peter wants with him that intrigues me."

"How long do I have?"

"I need the information in time to stop that wedding from happening," Andy said.

"I will do all I can. It's about time I arranged tea with Mrs Pettigrew to... congratulate her on her son's upcoming wedding," Narcissa said, with a smirk. "I'll see what she has to say, one Pureblood to another."

"Thank you, Cissy."

"Of course, dear sister. Who am I doing the favour for?"

"Sirius," Andy said. "He's friends with both of them and he has his concerns."

"I'll get Lucius to talk amongst the ranks... This will help our case?"

"I'll make it clear at that time that you were helping the Order members," Andy replied. "Both you and Lucius. The Ministry will understand that he was forced into this, and that you've helped fight You-Know-Who."

"Thank you," Narcissa replied. "I'll get back to you as soon as I hear anything. I'll start searching around for information. Perhaps Lucius can arrange to bump into Pettigrew?"

"That would be brilliant. Goodnight, sister."

"Goodnight, Andromeda," Narcissa replied, before both mirrors went blank.

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><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated.<strong>

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed already, or followed or favourited the story.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks all who voted. This was top of the votes last week when I started writing.**

**It's since been overtaken, but I knew there was a chance that could happen as I have no intention of closing the poll (as I'll use it to decide the story after this)**

**So expect weekly updates on this :)**

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><p>The next afternoon, Sirius and James met up with Remus, John and Lily in Diagon Alley.<p>

Sirius grinned as he approached the trio, who were waiting in the Leaky Cauldron. He gave Lily a quick hug, shook John's hand and hugged Remus tightly. He was still confused as to what to do about this man. He had just under two weeks to work it all out. Peter had been his friend for years, but Remus... Remus was special. In just a few short days, Remus had become so important to him and he didn't know if he could give Remus up now.

He discreetly took a deep breath of Remus when he had the other man in his arms, before finally pulling away. James smirked at him over Remus' shoulder and Sirius glared back.

"John, this is my friend, James," he said, turning away from the smirking man and looking at Remus' father.

"Nice to meet you, sir," James said, holding out his hand which John shook.

"Do you boys want a drink before we head out? Hope's doing dinner for us all afterwards, James, you're invited too, of course," John told them.

"Thank you, sir," James replied.

"How was your cousin's house?" Lily asked as Sirius and James began to take their jackets and drape them over the back of the chairs.

"It was good, I try to go over there every so often. Since Andromeda married Ted, the family shun her. I think me and Uncle Alphard are the only ones she has left."

"Why did they shun her?" Remus asked.

"She married a Muggleborn and disgraced the family and all that crap," Sirius replied. "Personally, I think she's brave risking it all. It's because of her that I got the balls to stand up to my parents and get out of it all myself. Andy said that she wasn't going to marry someone who is a good match for her, like it would have been arranged by my family. She married Ted because she fell in love with him and couldn't imagine life without him."

Sirius thought about how he couldn't imagine his life without Remus now that he had found him.

"When I get married, I want it to be like that - with someone who I couldn't live without." Sirius didn't take his eyes off Remus for those words, and Remus felt a strange wave of jealousy flow through him at the thought of Sirius marrying someone who wasn't him. He tried to push the feeling down as he reminded himself he would be married to Peter in a couple of weeks.

But it didn't bring him the same joy it had just days ago.

**...oOo...**

Sirius headed to the bar, offering to get the round of drinks in and Lily followed him to help.

"How was he when he got back?" Sirius asked when they were out of hearing range.

"He was better," Lily replied. "I think talking to James really helped, but he won't tell me what him and James talked about or what happened. James got an invite to the wedding, after all."

"Yeah, he I saw," Sirius replied. "I asked James what him and Remus talked about and he wouldn't betray Remus' confidence. I just get the feeling that there is more to it than we realise. James was pretty serious when I got back there and that's certainly not like James." Sirius hesitated for a moment. "Has Peter... he's usually nice to Remus, right? This was a one-off, right?"

Sirius gave Lily a moment to think as he watched her gaze drop to the floor and a frown appear. He ordered the round of drinks and looked back at Lily.

"I... don't actually know," Lily admitted. "Remus won't tell me anything about their relationship. He's not really said much and I hate that Remus isn't acting like Remus. He usually tells me everything since we're family, since the Lupin's took me in... but not telling me makes me think that there is something really wrong. I just want him to be happy, but I know without a doubt that he's making the biggest mistake of his life by marrying Peter. Peter certainly doesn't love him and won't make Remus happy, and I think Remus knows that deep down. I don't think he treats Remus as he deserves to be treated."

"Have you told him -"

"He's very stubborn. He won't listen. I just need to find a way to show him," Lily sighed.

"Do you think he could be happy with... with someone else?" Sirius asked. He wanted to ask if she thought Remus could be happy with someone like him, but was scared that the answer would be no.

"Remus needs someone who would understand him and accept him for who he is and for his Lycanthropy. He needs someone who loves him, wolf and all... not someone who's just going to tolerate that massive part of his life - because it is massive. He's a wolf for one night, but his condition is something that will affect his whole life. He needs someone who just clicks with him, someone who makes him laugh, because Remus doesn't have a whole lot to laugh about. Someone who defends him like when people like Benjy have a problem with him. You don't understand how much that meant to him when you stood up for him that day."

"Well no-one has any right to treat him or you like that," Sirius pointed out.

"The only people to ever stand up for Remus in the past have been his parents and I, so you doing that after knowing him for such a short time meant so much to him. I know that no-one has the right to treat him like that, but Remus doesn't. He thinks he's beneath every one. That's why he needs someone like you to fall in love with him."

"Me?" Sirius asked, trying to hide the hope in his voice. Would Remus want someone like him? Maybe Sirius could be what Remus truly wanted.

"Someone who will treat him exactly like you have," Lily said, hearing the hope in Sirius' voice. "From what I've seen, Peter has always been a bit cold towards Remus and I want Remus to be with someone who will actually make him happy. Someone who'll realise what an amazing man he is and how lucky they are to have met him. Remus deserves that. He may think he cares for Peter, but deep down, I believe he's settling for Peter because he thinks no-one else would ever want him because of what he is. He's attached himself to the first man that's come along without letting himself fall in love."

"He is amazing and deserves the best," Sirius muttered mostly to himself, turning to meet amber eyes that were fixed on him from the table, and returning the smile shot his way. If Remus wasn't in love with Peter, then Sirius definitely had a chance. He could at least show Remus that Peter wasn't the only man interested in him and that he was worth so much more than how Peter treated him.

**...oOo...**

The group finished their drinks and made their way from the Leaky Cauldron over to Twilfitt and Tattings, where a girl greeted them.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evans. We have an appointment for fittings for the Pettigrew/Lupin wedding," Lily said.

The girl's smile dropped from her face. "I'm sorry, your appointment has been cancelled," she said snidely.

"Why?" John asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We weren't informed of this."

"It's policy, you see," the girl explained. "We don't serve his type in here." She gestured towards Remus.

Remus looked worried for a moment before turning to leave in silence, James and Sirius grabbing an arm each.

"Miss Greengrass, isn't it?" James asked, his eyes narrowed.

Her eyes moved from James to Sirius and her eyes widened. "Sirius," she simpered.

"Delilah," Sirius replied coldly. "Where is your aunt?"

"She's away, she'll be back in a week," Delilah replied, smiling sweetly at him. "She's left me in charge since this shop will go to me in a few years."

"Tell her to send my mother her final bill. We're closing the Potter account here," James said.

"What?" the girl asked, dragging her gaze away from Sirius and looking towards the equally angry James.

"You heard me," James replied. "I'm closing our account here."

"But where will you -"

"Madam Malkins has never let us down before," Sirius replied. "I'm sure Dorea will find that more to her liking."

"But... he's a Werewolf," she shouted, pointing at Remus. "Just because I don't want him in my auntie's shop, it doesn't mean Mrs Potter needs to stop shopping here."

"So what if Remus is a Werewolf? It's not like he's suddenly going to attack you, you stupid bitch," Lily snapped.

"He shouldn't be walking around, pretending he's normal like everyone else," Delilah replied coldly, and Lily saw red.

**...oOo...**

James pressed a pain potion into Lily's hand and he put his wand to her face to heal the bruise there as she drunk the potion.

"You are the most impressive witch I've ever met," he said, a dopey grin on his face.

"You're not so bad either. You're really closing your mum's account?"

"Of course. No-one is allowed to treat our friend that way," James replied. "My mother was a Black too. She hated the prejudice of that family and got disowned just like Sirius. It didn't matter as much, as she was a woman and wasn't an heir to the family. She's trying to make a difference and people like Delilah Greengrass aren't helping."

"I'm sorry I was so much trouble," Remus said, a frown on his face as he watched Lily get cleaned up by James. He had been shocked when Lily had slapped the woman, which quickly turned into a cat-fight, ending in Sirius and James dragging the women off each other. Lily, beingMuggleborn, was more used to fights that didn't involve wands, and all Delilah managed to do was get one hit in. Lily was still clutching a massive chunk of blonde hair in her fist.

"You done nothing wrong, Remus," Sirius said. "She's just a Pure-blooded bitch who thinks she's better than everyone."

"She seemed fond of you."

Sirius let out a laugh. "One of the girls that wanted me for my name back in school," he replied. "People like that mean nothing to me. You're what's important to me. You deserve to be treated like everyone else and Greengrass got what was coming to her."

Remus struggled to breath as Sirius' arms wrapped around him tightly, holding him close. His own arms moved around Sirius too. With the exception of his parents and Lily, he never really felt important to anyone, not even Peter. He didn't care that Sirius held on for a few minutes. He wasn't the only one not willing to let go.

Finally, John coughed and the boys pulled apart, but Sirius' arm stayed around Remus' shoulder as he lead the way to Madam Malkins.

...oOo...

"Mr Black, Mr Potter," Madam Malkin said as they walked into the store. "Welcome to my shop." She smiled around at the group.

"Hi, we're looking for formal robes for the Pettigrew/Lupin wedding," John said, and Sirius' arm slipped from around Remus' shoulder. He had almost forgotten that Remus was with Peter, but the reminder made him move his arm.

"Hmm... I believe you were signed up to Twilfitt and Tattings?" Madam Malkin replied, looking confused.

"We were, but Mrs Greengrass refused to serve Remus and I was forced to close my mother's account with the store."

Madam Malkin nodded her head and opened a planner in front of her. "I can just about fit you in now if we're quick in doing this," she said, heading to the door and turning the open sign over. She pushed the lock down and nudged Remus over to be measured. "I have another appointment soon though, so no fussing."

When everyone else was busy, Madam Malkin turned to John. "If he looks at Mr Black like that, I can only imagine how he looks at Mr Pettigrew."

"Nothing like that," John replied. He watched as Sirius stood a bit closer to Remus than was considered appropriate as he adjusted his tie.

**...oOo...**

They were constantly touching, whether they realised it or not. Their legs touched as they sat on the sofa. They touched each other's arms or hands to get the other's attention. It was so obvious to everyone with the way Remus picked a bit of fluff out of Sirius' hair and the expression on Sirius' face as Remus turned back to his conversation. Not one of them could understand why the boys didn't see the way the other was looking at them.

John followed his wife into the kitchen and told her about the problems at the robe shop. Her initial fury disappeared as John filled her in on James and Sirius' words to the girl and Lily attacking her. He also informed her of the never-ending hug between the boys, which he finally had to interrupt with a cough.

They stayed in the kitchen for a little bit, just enjoying the sound of laughter and chatting coming from the next room. This is how it should be, Hope decided. Her children coming over with their boyfriends and filling their house with laughter. Being in love and being happy.

There was no way in hell that Peter was going to mess up the scene that the Lupins could see through the doorway. Sirius' arm was draped over the back of the sofa where Remus was sitting and he couldn't take his eyes off her son.

James was quite taken with Lily too. Hope found him just as charming and friendly as she found Sirius. She had no idea why Peter didn't like him, but then again, Peter was a horrible little man. Maybe she should invite James over the next time Peter was there for dinner? A smile overtook her face. She knew it wouldn't be like this evening, the pair of boys laughing and joking with Remus as though they had known him for years.

Inviting James over at the same time as Peter would cause a whole lot of problems and hopefully they could drive Peter away, leaving Remus' heart open for Sirius. Because this was how she had always envisioned her son. So many years had passed by and she thought she would never get to see Remus like this and Sirius' presence in her life made her son so happy. James was his friend and she could only imagine what they were like with the Longbottom couple.

It was very late when the boys finally got up to leave. Sirius hugged Hope and Lily goodbye, then Remus, and Hope could see if for herself, the way the men held each other tightly as though neither of them wanted to let go. He shook John's hand before they both headed back to their own place.

"This has been a lovely evening," Hope said, tiding up and letting out a yawn.

"Mum, Dad, you get on so well with James and Sirius, but not with Peter. Same with you, Lily..." He trailed off and looked at them expectantly.

The three looked back at Remus.

"Do you not like Peter?" Remus asked after realising that he wasn't going to get an answer without actually asking.

"Love, if you're happy, we're happy," Hope replied, and Remus nodded slowly, dropping the subject, knowing that he wasn't going to get anything more from his parents. But he knew his mother's avoidance. That meant that she didn't like him.

Could he maybe get his parents to change their minds? Maybe he should arrange another family dinner and he'd have a word with all of them about making an effort.

"You better go to sleep soon, you have the early appointment at the Ministry tomorrow," Hope reminded him, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and watched her son walk up the stairs. It was true what she said - if Remus was happy, she was happy... but Hope was convinced that Remus wasn't truly happy with Peter.

Remus went into his room and took a deep breath of his cardigan which had the scent of Sirius clinging to it. He stripped off his clothes and pulled his pyjamas on before climbing into bed. After a few minutes of trying to get comfortable, his phone beeped, causing Remus to smile widely.

He knew it was Sirius, and it didn't matter that he was tired, because Sirius would always come before sleep.

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><p><strong>Review Please :D<strong>

**Let me know what you like/don't like/want to see happen.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to Writhen Heart for being an excellent beta and for helping me with my writers block on this chapter.**

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><p>Narcissa surveyed the woman sitting across the table from her. So far the conversation had been small talk. Gossip, the weather, the health of each other's families. But the small talk had finished and Mara Pettigrew watched her, waiting for the real reason for their tea to emerge.<p>

"I am concerned about your family," Narcissa offered, clicking her fingers for the house-elf to pour more tea for them. "Peter isn't able to produce a son with his intended, so I am assuming you have set aside an unimportant pure-blood who will bear an heir for him? My concern is not that he is being wed to a man, it's that this man is a half-breed." She put as much disdain into those last words as possible.

Mara's eyes examined Narcissa for a moment, as she thought about her reply.

"My son has made his choice, Narcissa. He is to marry the Lupin boy," she replied, carefully.

"Perhaps I would understand should I know more," Narcissa replied. "Though it's none of my concern. I have not as much need for gossip as the other families who are talking about this. You know I am not one for the idle gossip that the other women are enjoying over the matter."

She watched Mara's hands clench around the teacup. Narcissa knew how important image was to Mara, and even more so to David Pettigrew. The fact was that their son – a pure-blooded wizard whose name alone could secure him a pure-blooded witch – was marrying a Werewolf. Narcissa knew something was wrong. David was the sort of man who would disown his son rather than allow him to do something to bring shame onto his family.

But David hadn't disowned his son. He seemed to support the marriage, as did Mara. There was something wrong. It wasn't as though Peter's family didn't have marriage offers to bring together pure-blooded families. There were offers, but he was going after a Werewolf.

Narcissa was also quite certain that David despised Werewolves. She was certain that Lucius would come back with information on that, after he was finished smoking cigars in the study with David.

"It is wonderful that you put your son's happiness first, rather than considering your image, of course. It is wonderful that your priority is your son's happiness," Narcissa offered.

"Do you think my son is happy marrying that beast?" Mara snapped, before her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

Interesting, Narcissa thought to herself. Peter didn't want to marry Remus Lupin and the Pettigrew family weren't as accepting as they pretended to be.

So why was he getting married if he didn't want to?

"I... it can't come out that I referred to my future... son-in-law in that manner, Narcissa. I trust you will remain discreet?" Mara asked, sounding concerned.

Narcissa nodded. "Of course, Mara. I just imagine that his marriage to a Werewolf would be difficult and dangerous. I am merely concerned for him."

"There is no need. My son knows how to handle... that boy," Mara said, a cold smile on her lips.

**...oOo...**

_'Remus, James bailed on me tonight. Are you up for an evening of sitting around watching movies, eating popcorn and entertaining a kid? I assure you that she's awesome.'_

_'Whose kid?'_

_'My cousin's. Andromeda needs me to babysit so her and Ted can go out for their anniversary. Say yes, it'll be a laugh.'_

_'Will she be alright with a Werewolf around her child?'_

_''Course she will. Floo to mine whenever you're ready.'_

Remus headed to his room to change. He sprayed a tiny bit of aftershave, as too much overloaded his senses, gave his face a quick wash and brushed his teeth, before heading into the living room.

"Are you waiting for James?"

"Yes. He was going to Floo but I told him that a gentleman knocks on the door. Sirius texted me saying James left a few minutes ago. Where are you off to?"

"Sirius texted me asking if I wanted to hang out tonight. He's babysitting his cousin and asked me to go along." He ignored the wide grin that overtook Lily's face. "Where is James taking you?"

"We're going to see a show," Lily replied just as the doorbell rang. Remus smiled as he walked into the hallway and opened the door. He greeted James before letting him in.

"Well, have fun, I'm off to help Sirius babysit," Remus said, heading into the Floo and throwing down some powder.

"Maybe I should have told him that when I was leaving, Sirius was getting ready to take a shower. Oh well, it's too late now," James said, handing a bouquet of flowers to Lily. "My dearest Lily, are you ready?"

.**..oOo...**

Remus came out of the Floo and looked around for Sirius. Not spotting him, he dropped down onto the sofa and waited.

It was only a couple of minutes before the bathroom door opened and Sirius walked across the room, wearing a pair of trousers, his hair and the top half of his body still wet. Remus couldn't help the way his eyes trailed over Sirius' body, before he pulled his gaze away. It was better than he imagined, but he didn't want to cause even more fantasies by staring at his fascinating body.

"Sorry, Remus," Sirius said, walking towards his room. "I didn't know you were here already. I'll be a few minutes. Help yourself to a drink or a snack. There's chocolate on the counter."

Remus headed into the kitchen, and Sirius found him a couple of minutes later munching on one of the chocolate bars.

"You got ready quick," Remus said.

"Yeah, I know," Sirius replied, not wanting to tell Remus it was because Sirius was excited to see him and didn't want to waste time by dressing slowly when he could be spending that time with Remus.

"Your hair is still wet?"

"Yeah. I find that if I do a drying charm on it, it takes some of the softness away," Sirius explained. "I just towel dry it and leave it. It's not like we're going outside."

Remus found himself wondering how soft Sirius' hair actually was, as he nodded his head.

**...oOo...**

Remus found himself hiding behind the sofa. The promise of a nice quiet evening of babysitting was a lie. Sirius had told a massive lie and brought him to the house under false pretences so they could entertain a child that must have eaten more chocolate than he did before they arrived.

Said terror was counting to one-hundred and the two men were huddled behind the sofa.

"Remus, where are you?" came a singsong voice from down the hall, and the men held their breaths as she came in the room. "Sirius?"

Within seconds, she was leaning over the top of the sofa, peeking down at them. "Found you," she exclaimed in delight and the pair stood up and stretched out.

"Okay, I think it's time for bed," Sirius insisted. "Do you want a story?"

Dora smiled, insisting that Remus read one for her, and she walked over to the bookcase, pulling one out.

"Muggle fairy tales?" He asked.

"Yeah, Sirius got me it," she replied, beaming at her cousin that was sitting on the side of her bed whilst Remus was sitting on the floor next to it, his back against the wall as he flicked through the pages.

"Once upon a time," he began, his eyes falling on the story of Sleeping Beauty.

**...oOo...**

Remus watched her eyes slowly close as she clutched Sirius' hand and a stuffed toy. When she was fast asleep, Remus watched as Sirius fixed her blankets around her, making sure she was warm enough before leading Remus from the room.

Remus could see Sirius Black being an amazing father. Just from the way he was with his cousin, the way he cared about her.

He paid no attention to Sirius putting a film on and putting snacks on the table, his thoughts lingering on Sirius with kids running around. Little kids that looked a lot like both him and Sirius. Although that wouldn't be possible. It didn't stop him thinking about them though.

"Do you ever wonder what it'd be like to have kids?" Remus blurted out.

"Kids?"

"Yeah. Would you ever... you know, adopt?"

Sirius frowned in thought. "Yeah, I can see myself with a kid. Maybe two kids. Being a dad."

"By yourself, or would you get married or..."

"I think if I met someone amazing, I'd marry them before they found out what a mess I am, and have a happy family."

Remus couldn't be classed as anything close to amazing.

"But I'd want to be sure that he's right for me, and I've only met one guy so far that I'd ever want to have a future with."

"Who?" Remus asked, wondering what man could have meant that much to Sirius Black.

Sirius brought his leg up and turned to face Remus.

"Just someone amazing, handsome, fascinating. He's perfect."

"Who is he?"

Sirius hesitated a long time. "You," he admitted. "I don't want to ruin our friendship by telling you, I hope it doesn't upset you."

"No, it's fine," Remus whispered.

Sirius moved closer. "I've freaked you out, haven't I?" He said. "Dammit. I shouldn't have said... I know nothing can happen, I can't help that..."

"That you are attracted to me?" Remus replied, shifting closer, hoping Sirius didn't think he was disgusted at the thought. He was just shocked. Him of all people? Sirius saw a future with him? He didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, I want to stay friends," Sirius insisted.

"Would it even things out if I told you that I was attracted to you too?" Remus admitted, his eyes unable to leave Sirius'.

"Yeah, that... that evens things out," Sirius murmured, his eyes falling to Remus' lips.

Remus wasn't sure how they ended up so close that their bodies were almost touching, all he knew was that Sirius' lips were inches from his.

"You're beautiful," Sirius whispered, his hand moving up to Remus' face, gently running his hand down it, his hand cupping Remus' jaw. "Amazing." His eyes moved to Remus' lips and the distance between them grew smaller.

"But you're not available, and even though I would give anything to have you, to kiss you, it would be wrong," Sirius finished sadly.

Peter. Remus had almost forgotten, so caught up in Sirius. He had almost forgotten he was soon to be married.

Slowly the hand on his face moved away, and they shifted away from each other.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -" Sirius began.

"No, it was me. I shouldn't -" Remus interrupted.

"It... maybe we both got caught up in the moment," Sirius said, and Remus nodded his head. Their eyes met again.

"How about we find a film to watch?" Remus offered.

**...oOo...**

The next three hours were spent in an awkward silence. Both men aware of what could have happened. Sirius unable to think of anything else except the feel of Remus' skin under his hand, the hopeful look in his eyes as Sirius moved closer to him. The way his breath caught as their lips were only inches from each other's.

Remus was thinking about the way Sirius touched his face without hesitation or repulsion. The way Sirius had looked at him as though he were special.

Over everything, he felt guilt. He had a fiancé, yet here he was almost kissing another man. Not just any man, Peter's best man. A man he had known for a week.

Crushes happened all the time, but it was wrong of him to act upon them. He didn't blame Sirius at all. Remus was the one who told Sirius he was attracted to him too. Had he not said that, this situation wouldn't have happened. Sirius had been noble enough to stop them before Remus cheated on his fiancé.

He just needed to get past the next week and a half. Once he was married and had marked Peter as his mate, he wouldn't want Sirius anymore.

He ignored the wolf in the back of his mind. He ignored the growls of displeasure that had started when Sirius had pulled away, and he ignored the voice. "Mine," it whispered to him. He knew the wolf was talking about Sirius, but there was no way he would acknowledge that.

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><p><strong>Review please :)<strong>

Sorry, I had a bit of writers block on this story. I think I've overcome it now, so I'll have the next chapter up in about a week. Thanks for sticking with the story.

Okay, so I think there will be some questions why it was Sirius and not Remus stopping the kiss, since Remus is usually the responsible one and the one who would always do the right thing.

The reason it was Sirius was because he's still very conflicted. There is still a part of him that doesn't want to hurt Peter, even though he'd choose Remus over Peter (details in last chapter where he's talking with Andromeda and Ted). He wants Remus, but he also knows that kissing him would be the wrong thing to do. So he's able to resist (for now).

Remus on the other hand - he's normally very in control. He even controls his wolfish tendencies. But the wolf is very demanding and he's finding himself losing control around Sirius. Sirius is the one thing he really wants above all else and he wolf is adamant he's going to have Sirius.

Also I always write kisses that are interrupted. I thought this time one of them would choose not to kiss rather than Tonks running in and distracting them. Writhen Heart gave me the idea for the almost kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to my beta - Writhen Heart.**

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><p><strong>I own nothing.<strong>

**Warning - emotional abuse in this chapter.**

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><p>That night, the pair stepped back through the Tonks' Floo, into Sirius' apartment.<p>

"We're still friends, right? I don't want to lose you now," Sirius checked. He had felt so awkward next to Remus after what almost happened. Awkward because he couldn't stop thinking about what it would have been like to kiss Remus. How perfect it would have felt. The three hours had been filled with his fantasies. He barely paid attention to the films that were playing.

"We're friends," Remus said firmly. There was no way he was letting Sirius go. "But I won't be able to chat as much for a few days."

"Oh, I made it awkward, didn't I?" Sirius mumbled. He thought about how many text messages he had exchanged with Remus on a daily basis and felt sad that he wouldn't be able to talk to him so much anymore.

"No. It's just that I'm seeing Peter tomorrow, and we're having dinner with my parents - it's Sunday after all. Monday night is the full-moon," Remus explained. "I'm going to go from restless to exhausted and back again. I'll either be out jogging or I'll be sleeping. I'll text as much as possible, but it won't be like the last week."

"I hope you'll be okay. Can you text me afterwards, let me know how your recovery is going?" Sirius asked, putting a hand on Remus' shoulder. His hand had been moving towards Remus' face again, but Sirius quickly stopped himself.

"I will," Remus promised, savouring the warmth of Sirius' hand resting on his shoulder. He had seen it move towards his face, and wanted it to rest there, but his shoulder was for the best.

"I'll see you soon," Sirius said, wrapping his arms around Remus and pulling him into a hug. Remus could feel how tight Sirius' grip was on him, and he returned the hug just as tightly. The pair held each other for a long moment before pulling away, neither of them really wanting to let go.

With a shy smile, Remus stepped into the Floo and headed home.

He couldn't help the smile on his lips as he thought about Sirius' confession as he climbed into bed, pulling the covers around him. The words played over and over as he fell asleep.

**...oOo...**

The next morning, Remus met Peter for breakfast at Peter's flat. He briefly wondered why in all the time they had been together, Peter hadn't suggested setting the Floo up, instead of Apparating between the flats. Peter greeted him with a kiss on his cheek, barely a brush of lips. Remus couldn't help but compare Peter's rushed touch with the way Sirius' hand had rested on his face, the look in Sirius' eyes.

Peter always claimed that he wanted to wait until the wedding before anything happened, and that meant only chaste kisses, nothing more.

Remus took over cooking breakfast. He had been learning to cook since the engagement started - Peter worked and Remus wanted to contribute somehow, after all, he would be the one at home since he struggled to find work. Breakfast was soon on the table. It wasn't perfect, but it was edible.

The pair ate in silence.

"How's work?" Remus asked, as he began to tidy everything away.

"It's fine. I've got a new regular customer at the Apothecary, so that'll make up for losing Madam Welcher's business."

"That's good," Remus replied.

"And you? I stopped over, but your mum said you were helping Sirius out?" Peter's eyes fixed on him intently.

"Yes, that's right. James was going to help Sirius babysit his cousin, but went on a date with Lily, so Sirius asked me," Remus replied.

Peter nodded. "So, what did you do?"

"We played board games, ate some of the leftovers Andromeda left from dinner. Then there were some guessing games, another where we weren't allowed to stand on the floor because it was lava or something and we had to jump onto the cushions that were charmed to move across the floor, finished by hide and seek. Tonks wanted a story before bed, then we watched movies and ate popcorn until Andromeda and Ted returned."

Peter stared at him for a long time, and Remus frowned. He wasn't going to mention the almost kiss, because that's all it was. An ALMOST kiss. Something that didn't actually happen. He hadn't been unfaithful.

"You spend a lot of time with him," Peter observed.

"He's my friend," Remus replied. "It's nice to have made some. It's all thanks to you that I even know him."

"Yeah, well me and Sirius have been friends for a long time," Peter replied, finally looking away. Remus got back to tidying the table, and quickly washed the plates. He turned around to find Peter still at the table, and Remus walked back over, and sat down.

"It was nice to see him too," Peter continued, his eyes meeting Remus' again. "It was so much fun in school. I wanted to be as confident as him."

"He is very confident, isn't he?" Remus agreed, wondering where Peter was going with this.

"Especially with the guys," Peter chuckled. "I mean, it was an all-boys school we went to, so he was right in his element. He spent more time out of the dorm than in the dorm."

"He was seeing someone in school?" Remus asked.

"Many someone's," Peter replied with a smile. "Quite the man's man. I always wanted to be as charming as him. He's not as obvious now about it, but he could charm anyone into bed."

"I'm sure," Remus replied, not really certain what to say. He had the impression of Sirius that he valued his relationships, rather than sleeping with anyone and everyone. Even Sirius' friends made it seem like he hadn't dated overly much.

"I remember Willem Krum," Peter continued. "He was straight before Sirius came to school. Sirius talked him round with sweet words, becoming his friend, being so kind to him, helping him with his assignments. He got Willem into bed, they lasted three weeks and then Sirius got bored and ended it. He likes to go after unavailable guys, after all, Willem was straight before that. That's as unavailable as they come... unless they're married or engaged."

Remus felt cold at the words. Was that what Sirius was doing to him? Trying to trick him with kind words and offers of friendship?

No.

He felt anger build inside him. He may not have known Sirius for long, but Sirius wasn't out to fool everyone. His parents thought Sirius was great, so did Lily. Sirius had brought him to meet his group of friends. Sirius wasn't trying to trick him. Peter was wrong.

Sirius was his friend and Sirius stuck up for him, and he sure as hell was going to stick up for Sirius too.

"Well, he's not like that," Remus said firmly. "If he was before, he's not like that now."

Peter let out a laugh. "Remus, that's what I like about you, you're so naive, it's endearing really."

"It's not naivety," Remus replied. "I trust him, he's my friend and I believe that he's different to how you've told me he is."

"Tell me, has he tried anything with you? Has he made a move on you, told you he wants you?" Peter asked.

"Nothing has happened between me and Sirius," Remus replied. "I'm marrying you, I've no intentions of cheating on you." Well, that was a lie, he had been more than willing to kiss Sirius the night before, and he knew had Sirius not stopped them, they would have kissed. Technically,nothing had happened between them. Maybe Sirius' behaviour and confession had a few slight similarities to what Peter was saying, but Remus trusted Sirius.

Peter nodded, finally moving to the living room. Remus followed him, relieved that the conversation was over.

"Is there anything else left to plan?" Remus asked, desperate to change the subject.

Peter looked at the table, picking up a large notebook and flicking through, stopping at a list halfway through that had almost everything crossed out.

"Money," he said. "You just need to sign the form to combine our finances. All your gold will be put into my vault."

Remus nodded. "Right. So you're changing it to a joint vault?"

"Oh, no," Peter replied, "if you need gold, I'll get it for you. It's best I keep track of what I give you so I can make sure we don't overspend."

Remus hesitated for a minute.

"So if I wanted to go to the bookshop for a book?"

"You let me know," Peter replied.

"A chocolate bar from the shop?"

"Let me know."

"What if you're not around and I need something?" Remus asked.

"You'll just have to ask in advance," Peter said, beginning to frown at the questions.

"So you'll give me what I need whenever I want," Remus asked.

"Well, we have to be sensible with money, so not always," Peter explained.

Remus frowned slightly. He knew he wouldn't really need that much money and not often, and knew he wouldn't have a lot to spend... but the thought of it being controlled made him angry. He didn't understand why, if this was the case, he couldn't have a separate vault for his own money to be put into - he could have some of his money put into the account for bills, but this meant he had no say over anything.

"So you control all the money and I have to ask when I want something? I don't see how that's fair," he said.

Peter glared at him and took a deep breath. "We'll have bills to pay, Remus. I have every right to do this. In same-sex marriages, there must be one person in charge. The dominant member of the marriage, if you prefer. That'll be me."

"Why you?" Remus couldn't help the question from falling from his lips at the statement.

"Because it's my flat in my name. The vault is in my name, and we don't want to risk your wolf taking control, thinking it's dominant over me. We've talked about this before."

"So because everything is in your name, you're in control of it all?" Remus asked, feeling his own temper flare. He tried to control it. "It doesn't have to be this way."

"The old pure-blooded vows -"

"Well, maybe we should change the vows? Shouldn't we be equal in the marriage?" Remus snapped.

"What's gotten into you?" Peter asked, his chair scraping across the floor as he stood up, moving towards Remus. Remus stood up from the sofa, looking back at him. "We're getting married, I'm going to look after you, I'll keep you safe. I care about you and you're just throwing it back in my face."

"No, I'm -"

"You don't appreciate the effort I'm going through for you, that I fought my parents for this marriage? That I'm damaging my reputation and theirs to marry you?"

"No, I do -"

"That I'm putting you over everything," Peter shouted. "You're so fucking ungrateful, Remus. You're lucky to be with someone like me. How many pure-bloods lower themselves like I'm doing?"

Remus was shocked. Did Peter really think he was lowering himself? Remus had thought it himself before, but for the words to be shouted at him with such venom... "I just want us to be equals," he whispered, scared of making it worse.

"We're not equals!" Peter roared, his fist hitting the wall, breaking the thin plaster between the living room wall and the bedroom.

Remus' gaze followed his fist.

"Look what you've made me do!" Peter shouted, looking even angrier.

"You... you hit the wall," Remus muttered in shock, his eyes fixed on the wall.

"I hit it because I would never hit you," Peter snarled. The words 'though I want to,' were unsaid, but Remus could almost hear them.

Remus watched in silence as Peter stormed from the flat, the door banging hard behind him. Only then did he take a deep breath and rush to the Floo.

What the hell was he supposed to do now? He wasn't going to spend the day with Peter and he wasn't sure if going to Sirius now would be the best idea. He couldn't tell his family of Peter's behaviour because they would flip out.

He wondered if Peter was even going to turn up at his parent's house for dinner.

After a moment of thought, he Floo'd to Diagon Alley, deciding he would look in the bookshop. Books always relaxed him. They were his friends when he had none. He would find a good book, buy it, and sit in one of the armchairs and read it until it was time for dinner. His fingers itched for him to take his phone out and call or text Sirius, but he resisted.

Hopefully by dinnertime the shock would have worn off, and he wouldn't be finding it so hard to breath.

Hopefully he could make sense of what was happening. All he expected was to get married to a guy who he cared for, who seemed to care about him. But Peter was scaring him, and there was his crush on Sirius, if it could even be counted as a crush. He was sure that it was so much more, no matter how he denied it to himself.

His life had turned upside down in the space of a week, and Remus didn't know what to do.

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><p><strong>I do have to say that in my original plan, Peter wasn't this bad. In fact, until the stag-do, Peter was supposed to seem like a really nice guy and then everyone would see his true colours.<strong>

**Obviously this went in a different direction.**

**Also, they weren't supposed to confess their feelings yet, but it just kinda happened.**

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><p><strong>Please leave a review :)<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm actually quite proud of myself for the more regular updates. **

**I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one just as much.**

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><p>It was a few hours before Remus emerged from the bookshop. He bought a handful of books, enjoying the weight of the bag in his hand more than usual. He stopped to stock up on chocolate too, like he always did. He wasn't going to change that now.<p>

There was no way he wasn't going to have any control of his money. He wasn't allowing Peter to do that. After all, Remus was the one who struggled to find work, it would make sense for him to be in charge of the money since he could deal with paying bills and buying food and everything when Peter was working... until he found another job.

When they had sat down and talked about it before, they had worked out how much Remus should give towards bills. Remus was more than happy to give towards the bills, but this went beyond that. He wasn't going to let his whole life be controlled.

Every time he thought about it, he got a bad feeling and this marriage should be happy. It should be exciting.

It was quickly becoming the opposite.

Still confused, he Apparated near to his house, and walked slowly towards it. As he approached the gate, he heard his name shouted, and he and turned around, spotting James coming towards him.

"James?"

"Remus, how are things?" James said, a grin on his face as he jogged up to Remus.

"What are you doing here?" Remus asked, trying to smile back.

"Family dinner," James explained. "I seem to have made a good impression on your family, because your mum invited me. She's lovely, isn't she?"

"Oh, right," Remus replied, hoping that Peter decided not to come. The two men seemed to really dislike each other... but on the other hand, maybe the lot of them being around each other would help them put their hatred behind them?

He wanted them to get on - his fiancé and his friend.

_Though if Sirius was his fiancé, he wouldn't have that problem._

Remus scolded himself at that thought, and led the way down the path to the front door.

The pair walked into the house, and Remus went straight upstairs, putting his stuff in the bedroom before going back to where James was standing in the hall. The pair walked through to the sitting room where Peter was sitting. The rest of his family were in the kitchen, he could see them through the door.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Peter snapped, noticing the pair. Remus noticed Peter's bad mood hadn't gone away.

"I was invited," James replied coolly. "The same reason you're here."

"I'm here because I'm Remus' fiancé," Peter said.

"Yeah, and one day I'll marry Evans and we'll have gorgeous children, and I'll still be coming to dinner," James responded.

"I have more right to be here right now."

"Not a competition Petey," James replied. "Though if it was, I'm sure I'd win. You see, people _actually_ like me."

"Boys, we've invited both of you to dinner as the partners of our children," Hope said from the kitchen doorway, looking between the pair of them.

"Sorry, Hope," James said before turning back to Peter. "It's time for a truce, Petey. I'm with Lily now and you're with Remus, and we're going to be seeing a lot of each other." He was smiling, but his eyes narrowed and Peter's did the same, flicking to Remus suspiciously. James stuck his hand out.

Remus wondered if Peter thought he had gone running to James after the fight and told him everything.

Peter stared at James' hand, and with a backward glance at the Lupins in the kitchen doorway, he reluctantly shook it.

The look of hatred was clear in each of their eyes.

"Well, I better go and greet my future in-laws and the future mother of my children," James said, walking through to the kitchen.

"Went running to Potter?" Peter said, when the room was empty of everyone. He glared at Remus.

"So on top of everything, you want to know where I went? I don't think you get to ask me that after how you acted earlier," Remus snapped, before walking into the kitchen, his hand raising to his head. It was hurting.

He headed over to the medicine cupboard, looking for something to relieve his headache.

**...oOo...**

Remus sat in his usual seat next to Peter, and James sat facing him. Lily was next to James; Hope and John took an end of the table each.

"So, Lily. What is your outfit for the wedding like?" James asked as they started to serve up the food from the middle of the table.

"I'm wearing a bottle green set of dress-robes," she replied. "I'll show you the colour later so you can get a matching tie if you want?"

"Yeah, sure," James replied. "What about you, mum? I bet you have a lovely dress to wear that'll make you look even more beautiful."

"You charmer. You and Sirius will be the death of me," she said with a laugh. "But yes, I have a very nice blue dress to wear. Lily helped me find one."

"I'm sure you'll look lovely," James replied, causing Hope to laugh and shake her head.

"So love, what did you get up to today?" Hope asked, turning to Remus. Remus could see Peter turn to look at him.

"I went to Peter's place, then to the bookshop to get some new books and I bought some chocolate," he said. He had decided not to mention the argument for now.

"I thought you were spending the morning with Peter," Lily said, her gaze on him.

"Yeah, so did I," Remus muttered. "Change of plans," he said slightly louder, still not turning to look at Peter. He just couldn't look at the man who had said those cruel words.

"And hung out with Potter," Peter muttered quietly, for only Remus to hear. Remus didn't bother answering. He didn't even look towards Peter.

"So, how was your date last night?" He asked instead.

"It was nice. James took me to dinner," Lily said.

"And Lily treated me to the cinema, though she insisted on paying," James said with a sigh.

"Well, I can't let you pay for everything," Lily replied.

"I'm the guy, I'm supposed to," James replied. "I want to take you out to nice places and make you feel special and see you smile and stuff."

"And I want to pay for some of these nice places too," Lily replied, shaking her head. "I don't expect you to pay for everything."

"But I want to," James insisted. "My parents always tell me when I find a nice girl, to treat her properly and that's what I'm trying to do."

Lily smiled at him, and Remus raised his eyebrows. From the soft look on Lily's face, she really liked James Potter.

He was quite happy with this; he thought that James was perfect for Lily. The last guy she had dated had been a bit strange around him and when Lily noticed, he was quickly sent packing.

James accepted his condition, so that would never be a problem in this case.

They resumed eating again, clearing their plates. Hope and John insisted on collecting the plates up and headed to the kitchen to put them on the side and get the desert ready.

"So, what about when you both go out?" James asked, as the Lupins disappeared from the room. "Do you split the bill or take it in turns?"

"You won't have to worry about that anymore, you'll be paying from the same account in the future," Lily said before either of them could respond.

Remus and Peter glanced at each other for a second.

"Or you're keeping separate vaults?" James asked, sensing the tension.

"Yeah, we're keeping separate vaults," Remus said.

"We're moving everything to my vault," Peter said at the same moment.

James' gaze flicked between the pair.

"I'm keeping my own vault for my money, and giving Peter money for bills into his vault," Remus replied firmly, ignoring the look Peter was giving him.

James' gaze rested on Peter. "Is there a problem, Peter?" He asked, knowing full well that this was the cause of the tension that they could all feel, and the reason that Remus didn't look at Peter the whole time.

"It's not what we discussed earlier," he said, trying to sound calm.

"Oh, we discussed this, did we?" Remus asked him, finally turning in his chair to look at Peter. "Did the discussion continue when I wasn't there then?"

"Let's not discuss this here," Peter muttered, glaring back.

"You know what, let's do just that," Remus replied, finally losing his temper. "Let's see what Lily and James think about you wanting everything in your name, including both our money. How you want to keep the key to the vault yourself. No second key for me. Not that I would touch your fucking money, I just want to be able to use mine."

"Wait, he wants to what?" James said.

"But of course it'll work just fine," Remus said, sarcasm lacing his voice. "It'll be like getting pocket money from my parents like a fucking child." His eyes flashed in anger.

Peter was on his feet, and James jumped up too, his fingers curling around his wand, ready to defend Remus if needed.

He wanted to hex Peter so badly, but he waited.

"I think we hit a misunderstanding earlier," Peter said calmly, though the way his hands were clenching showed he was anything but calm. Peter's gaze shifted from Remus to the other two, before moving back. "Of course I'll be sorting out a second key, but we need to keep outgoing to a low, so we'll both agree an amount we can spend each week."

"No, I'm still keeping my vault. We agreed an amount before, and that's what we'll go with," Remus replied, sitting back in his seat as his parents walked in.

James' eyes never left Peter, and Lily looked worried as they started to eat their desert. She hadn't seen Remus get angry like that in such a long time and she knew Peter must have really upset him to cause this.

Lily liked that Remus stood up for himself, but she hated the fact that Peter was putting Remus in a position where he actually needed to do so.

Plus, Remus rarely swore and he was just tossing the words around like they were part of his usual vocabulary, which they weren't to Remus.

Hope and John looked around at the four of them in concern, wondering what they had missed.

**...oOo...**

James offered to clear the dishes with Remus, and the pair began to load the dishes into the dishwasher, James looking at the Muggle appliance in amusement as Remus began to explain it to him. Although James knew quite a lot about Muggles and their technology, he had no reason to know about dishwashers.

When Remus had finished explaining, James frowned slightly.

"Why don't you just use magic though?"

"We have Muggle family over sometimes," Remus explained. "My mum has a book club too, so she wants to look like a Muggle to fit in. Also, my mum thinks some things should be done without magic - she says always using magic will make us lazy."

They got on with cleaning up.

"You know I'm pretty proud of you, the way you stood up for yourself earlier," James said, when they had almost finished. "It's hard in relationships when both people want something completely different, but it sounds like he was trying to control you again."

James waited for a response, but got none.

"I think you handled that really well though," James continued. "Both of you should have the same access to the vault, you are entering a marriage together, and you're equal partners."

Remus dropped a plate at the words, the plate smashing on the floor.

"Shit," he muttered, pulling out his wand and using it to repair the plate.

James frowned, wondering what he said that caused Remus to drop the plate and swear.

_'You're equal partners.'_

"Because that's something that's important," James said softly. "Being equal."

"It's hard to be equal when you're not even human," Remus whispered.

"Remus, anyone who makes you feel less than human isn't worth your time," James said, moving closer. "You become a werewolf every full moon, but right now you're not going to hurt anyone. To me, Sirius, Lily, your parents, you're just as human as us. Same with Frank and Alice. Anyone who thinks less of you because of your condition doesn't deserve to be part of your life."

"But -"

"Remus, I'm saying this because I'm your friend, but if he makes you think you're not equal to him, you are going to make the biggest mistake of your life on Sunday, because you will spend your life thinking you are below him. No-one can stop you from marrying him if that's what you really want and I'm not going to try and force you to change your mind, but I want you to be happy. If Peter truly made you happy, I wouldn't say a word... but he's controlling you, Remus. Do you want your life to be like that? It's not what marriage should be like. It's not how relationships are. You are worth so much more than that, you deserve someone who treats you like the amazing guy you are."

Remus didn't reply, and James closed the dishwasher. "You deal with the buttons, I wouldn't know where to begin to turn this dishwasher on. Just think about what I've said, and if you want to talk, you have my number. Whenever you need to talk, I'm there."

With that, James left the room, and Remus knew James was right. Right about everything.

He followed James from the room, and his gaze fell on Peter.

"Do you want to come back to mine?" Peter asked, standing up, ready to leave.

"It's a full moon tomorrow night, I'm starting to feel worn out," he lied. "I'm going to go and lay down in a few minutes."

"Right, I'll be off," Peter said. He stood up, his lips brushing Remus' cheek before turning to leave the house.

Remus didn't look at his family, instead heading upstairs.

**...oOo...**

"Should I go up and check on him?" Hope asked.

James shook his head. "I think it's best to leave him to rest."

"But he doesn't usually feel the effects of the full moon... the earliest he should feel them is around bedtime, or in the morning -"

"Mum, I think Remus has a lot on his mind and just wanted to be left alone," Lily replied.

Hope looked towards the stairs again worriedly.

"I'll check on him in an hour or so," John assured her. "Let's just give him time to himself right now."

**...oOo...**

A couple of hours later, John went up to the room, and knocked.

"Remus?"

He pushed the door open, to see Remus asleep on the bed, his back to the door. John watched his son for a moment before closing the door again.

He would talk to Remus soon and find out what was going through his son's mind.

Remus was more likely to pass out on the couch rather than admit to being worn out, so John knew something was up.

**...oOo...**

Narcissa frowned on the other side of the mirror.

"I don't know what is going on, but I don't think the Pettigrew family can be trusted. Give me more time, I'll get you more before the wedding. Lucius is making enquires."

"Thank you, sister," Andromeda said.

"Sirius... how is he?" Narcissa asked.

"He misses you even if he doesn't talk about you, I just know. When this is all over, hopefully you can both fix things. Hopefully we can all be close like we used to be."

"I hope so too," Narcissa whispered sadly, her cold mask slipping for her sister to see the worry in her eyes. "Keep me updated. I'll ask around about Peter more. I'd not say anything to Sirius just yet, let us have something more concrete on him. Does he know you're checking up on his friend?"

"Sirius doesn't know. I had him here for dinner and I don't like seeing him like this. We need for this wedding not to happen."

"Is there anything else that the Order needs information on?" Narcissa asked.

Andromeda nodded her head. "What information can you give?"

**...oOo...**

After an hour of thinking about things, Remus' headache returned, the approaching full moon already affecting his body, though he wouldn't have had the headaches if he didn't have so much on his mind.

Giving up, he decided to get the full-moon out of the way and then work out what the hell to do.

Peter had put a massive crack in their relationship, and Remus wasn't sure that it could be repaired.

He didn't think he wanted it to be repaired anymore.

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><p><strong>Review Please :D<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to Writhen Heart for being an excellent Beta.**

**Also thanks to everyone for reading/following/reviewing this story or adding it to your favourites.**

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><p><span><em>For anyone who has not dealt with emotional abuse before, here is a bit of information on why Remus is still with Peter and didn't up and leave at the first sign of it.<em>

_An emotionally abusive relationship is not easy to get out of. You could have all the support in the world and KNOW that it's not right, but that doesn't mean its easy to walk away from. There are those people that can pretend to be the nicest people in the world and can be so clever that you don't even realise that you are being controlled until it feels like its too late to do anything about it. Then you are trapped._

_These people can manipulate you and that can even extend further. They can make you feel like YOU are the one at fault, that you've done something wrong, which justifies their behaviour. They can manipulate everything - carefully phrased sentences that you don't catch, or their mannerisms around you in company, so you look bad in front of your family and that they look like the victim in the situation... so you start to feel isolated from your family and unable to talk to them about it._

_They can make you feel like there is something wrong with you, make you think that you are lucky to have them and they do this in such a way that you believe them. For Remus, that's not hard to do as he has so many self-doubts already, it would be quite easy for someone that manipulative._

_Remus is not being stupid by finding this choice hard to do, in fact he's become too reliant on Peter being in his life as I haven't detailed the earlier manipulative side of Peter that Remus was blind to. Peter is his first relationship. The first person that looks past the Lycanthropy and to Remus that's extremely important. He's been really alone and he doesn't have previous relationships to compare this one to._

_There are a lot of little hints at this. The engagement party for example. The only people Remus could talk to there were his parents and Lily. This was to show that he hadn't actually invited anyone else and Peter filled the place with people who would disapprove of Remus instead of a smaller party with people that were close to them._

_When the group go out for a drink, we find out that Peter doesn't stand up for Remus either._

_Peter removes his arm from Remus' shoulders at the Engagement Party when they walk back into the room where he knows people will be looking at him._

_There are a lot of little hints that Peter doesn't treat Remus well, but Remus doesn't really notice until he meets Sirius because Sirius is the opposite of that. That's when Peter's nature becomes clear. When Remus fights back and refuses to take it, that's when Peter turns nasty. With the shouting and the hitting the wall, the threat of actual violence even if he's not hitting Remus himself._

_Remus has made so many future plans with Peter and everything is suddenly falling apart. He's about to get married, and suddenly seeing his fiancée for his true colours. All his future plans seem to be going down the drain and suddenly another man who can give him what he wants shows up and Remus doesn't know how to handle the situation._

_Not everyone has a Sirius Black waiting to rescue them from what they are going through. Some people have to handle it alone, but it doesn't make us weak or stupid, even if we feel like that when it's happening._

_Some people are even too proud to admit to their family what's happening, choosing to pretend that everything is fine because they don't want to admit that they had screwed up._

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><p><strong>I'm sorry about the long author's note, and I hope that clears up any confusion about emotional abuse and why Remus hasn't walked out at the first sign of it. If you have any questions, ask away.<strong>

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><p>Remus didn't emerge from his bedroom for the rest of the evening, and Hope headed upstairs to check on him. She gently told him if he needed to talk about anything, they were all downstairs, but he declined the offer.<p>

The next day was the full moon. Remus was up early and Hope woke up to the sound of him passing her bedroom. She peeked out to see him leaving the house.

It was one of those days.

Hope headed downstairs to make Remus breakfast. He was going to be restless throughout the day, and he'd be hungry when he got back. She had about an hour, maybe two, before he returned.

She cast a spell to keep the breakfast warm for when he got back and rested her head on the table. Five am was much too early to get up, but she liked looking after her son over the full-moon. It was the only time he allowed it.

**...oOo...**

Remus had so much on his mind that morning. He believed it had something to do with how restless he was. In an attempt to clear his mind and work through his predicament, he hit the pavement. He tried to work out how he felt about Peter. He cared for him so much and Peter had been the first person he'd had relationship with. The first guy to really pay him attention.

As he ran through the streets, he thought back to the first time he had met Peter.

**...oOo...**

_Remus left Hogwarts. He had just had a meeting with Dumbledore to receive updates for his assignment and he decided to make a stop in Hogsmeade before returning home. Everyone at home was out and he would be bored there by himself._

_He browsed mostly, treating himself to a new book, before heading into the cafe for a hot chocolate. He was contemplating reading the first chapter of the book there before heading home._

_Remus turned away from the counter, hot chocolate in hand, ready to find a seat, and immediately bumped into a man standing right behind him. The hot-chocolate fell to the floor._

_"I'm so sorry," the man said, grabbing a napkin from the counter, dabbing at Remus' jumper. "I'm sorry let me -"_

_"It's okay, it was me, I should have been watching where I was going," Remus replied, taking the napkin from the man and wiping at his jumper. He felt a bit flustered by their close proximity, and he looked up to see the man watching him carefully. Remus felt a blush come to his face, causing the man to smile._

_"No, it was my fault," the man insisted. He turned to the counter and ordered another hot chocolate for Remus._

_"You don't have to do that," Remus insisted._

_"Really, it was my fault. I was the one in the way. I stepped towards you so I could talk to you."_

_"Talk? To me?" Remus asked._

_"Yeah, I... well, I've noticed you passing through here a few times, and wanted to talk to you before, but it's terrible. When I finally get the courage, I end up making you spill your drink and making an idiot out of myself."_

_"No, you haven't made an idiot out of yourself," Remus quickly assured him._

_The guy smiled at him, picking up the new hot chocolate that had been made._

_"Well, would you like to join me?" the guy asked, sounding extremely nervous, but looking at Remus hopefully._

_"I'm a Werewolf," Remus blurted out. The guy was smiling at him in a way he wasn't used to and he thought it best to get that bit of information out there straight away._

_The man's eyes widened for a moment, and there was a long pause._

_"That's alright, I'd still like you to join me," the other man said, turning towards an empty table._

_"I'm Remus," Remus said, sliding into the seat facing him._

_"I'm Peter," the guy replied._

_"Can I ask why you wanted to talk to me?" Remus asked, sipping the hot drink._

_"Well, like I said... I noticed you before," Peter said with a smile. "I was actually hoping to get your number."_

_"My number? Why?" Remus asked._

_"So I can ask you out."_

**...oOo...**

Peter had been so sweet when they had first met, but either Peter was only showing his nice side and hiding this cruel controlling side well, or Remus was not seeing him properly when everyone else was. That could be why his family had taken a dislike to Peter.

Peter was the problem and once the full moon was done, Remus was going to have to make a choice. Could he let all the people coming to the wedding down? Was he being selfish by wanting to call it off?

He sighed as he started back home. He had run further than expected.

**...oOo...**

Sirius struggled to keep his mind on work that day. His phone hadn't beeped all day and Sirius had checked it every few minutes just in case Remus needed something. He was very concerned about the full moon that night. He had no idea how the transformations would go and how Remus' health would be the day after.

He resisted texting Remus. After the other night, he felt it best to give Remus a bit of space over the full moon. He would text him the day after, he decided. Just to make sure Remus was well.

During work, Sirius spotted Remus' father around the Ministry, but didn't have time to ask him about Remus. Their eyes had met though, and a passing greeting was all they managed.

Finally, the extremely long day came to an end and Sirius and James finished work and headed home. It wasn't long before Sirius was pacing around the living room, unable to take a seat or keep still for more than a couple of hours. Sirius' gaze flicked to the window occasionally, and finally,he froze, staring as the full moon appeared in the sky.

He pulled his phone out, but after a moment of thought he put it away again. It wasn't like he could text Remus and he just couldn't think of what to write in a text to Lily.

He took up pacing the room again, with the occasional glare at the moon. It was quite late by the time he felt he was going to explode with not knowing what was going on.

"What if he's hurt?" he asked James, not for the first time.

James sighed. He knew nothing would be able to take Sirius' mind off Remus. James looked back at his phone, reading Lily's reply to his text. The Floo activating startled him, and he realised that Sirius was gone.

A minute later, another text arrived from Lily.

**...oOo...**

The three occupants were sitting around in their pyjamas when the Floo activated, and Sirius stepped out.

"I'm really sorry," he said quickly, taking in the fact that they were all sitting around in their pyjamas. "I just... I was worried and I wasn't thinking straight, and I don't know why I'm here. I just... I'm really worried about him."

Sirius looked so lost and Hope smiled at him, patting the seat next to her. "Sit down, dear. How have you been today?" She asked.

"Worried. Is he alright? I don't know much about transformations," Sirius said. "How bad will he be tomorrow? How bad was he today?"

"Remus was quite restless today, he went out jogging for three hours this morning. Something must have been on his mind," Hope said. "Are you okay, dear?"

"Yeah, just can't stop thinking about him... I mean with the transformation and everything," Sirius said, fidgeting in his seat. "How long until he turns back?"

"Not for a few hours," John replied.

"James said you were distracted at work," Lily said. "He said you've not sat down since you got home and you haven't eaten a thing since you woke up."

"I'll make you a sandwich," Hope said, beginning to stand up.

"Thank you, but I'm not going to be able to eat it," Sirius told her. "It would be a waste."

"Sirius, Remus would be upset if he knew you weren't eating properly," Hope said sternly.

Sirius stood up. "Well, I didn't come here to put you out. I'll make it, Hope."

"Sit down, Sirius," she ordered. "You look really on edge, and you need to calm down, my dear. Let me, I need something to do rather than sit and stare into space."

Sirius sank back onto the sofa, his eyes moving from John, who gave him a half-hearted smile, to Lily, who looked as on edge as he did.

"Am I missing something?" Sirius asked.

Lily sighed. "Remus was agitated today. When he's worried and overly stressed he tends to have a worse transformation."

"It's my fault, isn't it?" Sirius said, jumping up. "I said something that may have upset him. He promised it hadn't, but -"

"It's Peter's fault. I think Peter upset him, they had a fight yesterday morning and an argument during dinner," Lily replied.

Sirius stared at her. "What about?"

Lily shrugged, not wanting to talk about it in front of John. "Just a few disagreements between them," she replied.

Hope returned to the room with a tray, and Sirius sat back down as Hope handed it to him.

"It's leftovers from dinner earlier. Shepherds Pie," she said. "I expect you to eat it all."

"Yes mum," he teased, picking up the fork. "Thank you," he added, glancing at her and getting a smile in return.

The food was delicious and Sirius hadn't realised just how hungry he was. He insisted on washing his own plate in the sink, not wanting to put the Lupins out any more than he already had. He returned to the living room and saw that Hope and Lily had swapped seats and he hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should go home or not, but Lily patted the seat and he thankfully sat down.

He knew he should leave, but he couldn't bring himself to go. Not when he was so worried about Remus.

Lily took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and she leaned against him.

The four of them turned their attention to a movie that Hope put on the television, but Sirius couldn't stop thinking about Remus and how he was coping.

Finally, the movie came to an end and Lily let out a massive yawn.

"Lily, bed," Hope said, looking at the girl she had practically raised as her own, who was falling asleep against Sirius. Her gaze moved to Sirius who was looking towards the Floo with a frown on his face.

"Sirius, you can sleep on the sofa, dear," Hope decided. She couldn't bring herself to send him home, because she had a feeling that Sirius would be up all night, worrying. She also knew that he'd just turn up first thing in the morning, exhausted from lack of sleep.

It was best for him to stay, so she could make sure that he slept and ate breakfast the next day... plus, Remus would be happy to see someone cared enough to come and check on him. For the hundredth time, Hope wished it was Sirius that was marrying her son. It was obvious how Sirius felt about him.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked hopefully.

John nodded. "I think Remus would like to see you here when he wakes up."

"If you're sure..." Sirius began, and Lily grabbed his arm.

"Come on, you can borrow some of Remus' pyjamas," she said, leading the way to Remus' room.

Sirius looked about in interest as Lily grabbed a clean pair of pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt and passed them to him. She closed the door, leaving Sirius to get changed.

**...oOo...**

Sirius took a moment to look around. Bookcases took up most of the space and they were bursting with books. There was a double bed in the corner and a small TV with a DVD player.

Sirius glanced at the photos that were out. He saw a picture of Remus and Lily next to the TV and one of Remus, Lily and the Lupins next to the bed. Part of him was glad that there was no picture of Remus and Peter in the room. Sirius resisted snooping further and quickly got changed into the pyjamas. The top was tighter than he was used to, but he didn't mind. Sirius folded his clothes and picked them up, his wand and phone in his other hand as he headed downstairs.

The sofa had been enlarged and had covers and a pillow on it. Sirius smiled at Hope, gave her a kiss on the cheek and said goodnight to both her and John as they headed upstairs.

It was just Lily left and she stared at him with a smile on her face. Not her usual smile, it was one that unguarded.

"Remus will get through this transformation fine," she told him.

"I know," Sirius said. "But knowing doesn't make it any easier. I just needed to see that he's okay. I need to make sure that he heals right."

"You really love him, don't you?" She said.

"What makes you say that?" Sirius asked, with a nervous laugh.

"Because Peter's never once come over around the full-moon, and here you are, acting like the rest of us do. We're used to the transformation evenings where Hope forces us to eat and we pretend to watch a movie, but we're all just thinking about Remus. It's hard to sit still. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten like you are - so worked up that Hope has to talk me into taking a calming potion. We do this every month, Sirius," Lily said.

"So what does this mean?" Sirius whispered.

"I'm not going to tell him that you're in love with him, it's not my place. I'm just really glad you're part of his life. It's wonderful that you look past the lycanthropy. That you accept it and still love him."

"Peter's marrying him, he's looked past the lycanthropy too," Sirius said.

"But Peter doesn't love Remus and Remus doesn't love him. There is still a week, Sirius, and you mean so much to him. Don't give up hope on him because I think... I think that Remus isn't that sure about the commitment he's going to make."

Sirius nodded his head.

"You're family now," she said, with a smile.

"Am I?" He asked, his eyebrows raising.

"You sat with us during the full moon," she replied. "It's like a family tradition, really. So you're family now. I'm glad Remus met you."

"Thank you. I'm glad that James met you," Sirius replied with a smile.

Lily grinned for a moment, the most she could do whilst Remus' transformation was happening. "Goodnight, Sirius."

"Night Lily," he said.

Lily went upstairs and Sirius heard the sound of her door shutting. He pulled the covers back, smiling as he slid his legs under the duvet. It was lovely and warm. Hope had cast a warming charm on the covers.

He rolled onto his side and pushed one arm under the pillow. The covers were pulled up to his neck and he tried to sleep.

**...oOo...**

Sirius woke up to the sound of the basement door banging shut. He listened carefully and after fifteen minutes, John and Remus made their way through the living room.

Remus noticed Sirius, and their eyes met, but neither said a word. They just shared a tired smile, eyes staying locked until Remus left the room.

Remus couldn't help the smile which upturned his lips as he realised that Sirius was there for him. To make sure he was okay.

He couldn't wait until he woke up later that morning to see Sirius again.

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><p><strong>Review Please :)<strong>

**Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than usual.**

**I'll see you next Sunday with the next chapter :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Enjoy.**

**Thanks to my beta Michy for all her help. :) **

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><p>It was lunchtime before Remus woke. His body was aching and he was in desperate need of a pain potion.<p>

He slowly slipped out of the bed and searched through the bedside table, pulling out one of the pain potions from the drawer. He grabbed a change of clothes – some comfortable, loose-fitting pyjamas – and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

His face ached and he just knew that he had done something to it. Remus took a deep breath before looking in the mirror to see the scar running across his face.

He allowed himself a few seconds of upset. All of his scars until now could be hidden, but this one would be in full-view of the world. After a moment, he shook himself out of his self-pity; it wasn'tlike there was anything he could do about it, plus, it was only one scar.

Remus tried to think positively. He had made it through another full-moon with minimal damage when it could have been so much worse. After all, he had read books about Werewolves hurting themselves so badly over a full moon that they died. Remus was alive and that's what mattered the most.

He finally pulled himself away from the mirror and stripped down, checking his body for new scars, but it seemed the damage was mostly to his face. Only a small scar on his chest and a few bruises were left over from his transformation.

He stepped under the spray, the water hitting his muscles and making them ache, but he felt better when he had finished. He stepped out and brushed his teeth before getting dressed into a pair of clean pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt. He pulled some socks on, and made his way into the living room.

Remus froze at the sight of Sirius, who was relaxing on the sofa with James and Lily. He had actually forgotten that Sirius was there, as he had only glimpsed him in the early hours of that morning.

They all greeted him and began to shift across the sofa, a small space appearing between Lily and Sirius. He dropped into the gap, pretending that having the whole side of his body against Sirius' wasn't affecting him in the slightest.

"You stayed the night?" He asked, the memory resurfacing from the back of his mind.

"I did," Sirius replied. "James brought me over a change of clothes. I slept on the sofa."

Remus couldn't help but smile. Sirius had stayed over for him. Warmth spread through him at that realisation.

It was usually just his parents and Lily that were waiting for him to get up... but James and Sirius were here too, relaxing on the sofa as though they belonged.

They did belong.

Remus found himself wondering if Sirius would still be attracted to him with the scar on his face. His fingers reached up to it, and Sirius caught his eye.

"Don't worry, Remus, you're still handsome," Sirius said softly.

Remus tried to hold back the blush that began to stain his cheeks, but to no avail. There was just something about the way that Sirius was looking at him that made him want to do everything he could to make Sirius look at him like that.

**...oOo...**

It was a couple of minutes before his parents came out of the kitchen. Hope walked over, kissing his cheek, being careful not to brush against the scar or surrounding skin.

"Me and your father have some errands to run. We would do them tomorrow, but Sirius and James have decided to stay for the rest of the day," she told him. "I've made up some rolls for you all for lunch and we'll be back with dinner."

Remus nodded, and he got up to walk them out.

"Dad, I have some things on my mind. Tomorrow after you finish work..." Remus began, trailing off, not wanting to explain anything more in front of everyone.

"Meet me at the Ministry and we'll go for a drink and talk," John offered.

"Great," Remus replied, relieved that he would be able to speak to his father in private before the wedding. He needed his father to tell him what to do – if everyone would hate him for leaving Peter so close to the wedding.

He didn't want to let anyone down, but Remus knew he couldn't go along with this wedding. He just needed to say these things out loud to someone and have a reasonable voice tell him if this was last minute wedding nerves or if it was more.

He wanted the truth about what his parents thought about Peter.

He headed back into the room at the same time as Lily. She had been in the kitchen collecting drinks and the lunch that Hope had made them. She put the large platter in the middle of the coffee table and they began eating.

Once done, Lily grabbed some blankets and they squeezed onto the sofa again, ignoring the smaller sofa. Lily passed one blanket to Remus who pulled it over him and Sirius, and Lily wrapped hers around herself and James.

Sirius looked confused for a moment, but Lily had muttered something about tradition after a full-moon, saving Remus having to explain. Instead, he focused on the fact that he was sitting so close to Sirius again.

**...oOo...**

Remus woke up to the sound of the front door closing, signalling his parents were back. He sat up and looked around in confusion, finally meeting Sirius' soft smile.

"What happened?"

"You fell asleep on my shoulder," Sirius explained. "James and Lily moved over there to give you space to stretch out."

Remus' gaze fell to the pillow on Sirius' lap.

"You were a bit restless until Sirius started running his fingers through your hair," Lily said, grinning at him in amusement.

"Oh, thanks," Remus said, watching as Sirius blushed slightly.

"If you're still tired, you can lay back down," Sirius offered. He patted the pillow and after a moment's hesitation, Remus lay back down again. He was tired and it had nothing to do with the fact that his head was resting on Sirius' lap at all... or so he tried to tell himself.

He listened as his parents headed straight upstairs and he felt fingers running through his hair. He made a mental note never to move from this spot. Sirius wasn't allowed to go home, he just had to run his fingers through Remus' hair for the rest of their lives.

This is how it could be. This moment and the one before he woke up. The four of them sitting around, cuddling, watching movies and just enjoying each other's company. That sounded just perfect to Remus. He never wanted the day to end.

This is what he wanted... but there were slight doubts that Peter had put in his head and try as he might, he needed to know if there was any truth in them.

"What was Durmstrang like?" Remus asked, trying to distract himself from his thoughts.

"It wasn't as bad as people make out," Sirius replied, his fingers still running through Remus' hair in a very relaxing manner. "Everyone thinks you learn more dark magic there than at Hogwarts, but it's not really that much more, it's just that the laws aren't as strict, which allows more leniency."

"So, what were the boys like there?" Remus asked.

There was a brief silence as Sirius processed the question. He knew that Remus was asking about his dating history, but he wasn't sure what had brought it on. He wasn't going to lie, he was going to tell Remus whatever he wanted to know.

He had nothing to hide.

"Well, they were utter prats," Sirius began, moving his hand away as Remus rolled onto his back, staring up at Sirius from his lap.

"I started there when I was fourteen." Sirius told him. "My parents thought I was going soft at Hogwarts and believed that Dumbledore was teaching nonsense. They believed that going to a school that was darker would be better for me as their heir. I left Hogwarts at the end of my fourth year and went to Durmstrang in time for the new school year. I was placed in Peter's dorm and he was a bit of a loner and I was new so he took it upon himself to show me around. I... yeah, I had a thing with a few guys there before I went to Hogwarts."

"How many?" Lily asked, sensing that Remus needed to know. Something had brought these questions on. Something had upset or bothered him.

"Well, the first boy I did anything with was Willem Krum," Sirius began. "We were dating... if you could call what he did dating."

"Took advantage, more like," James added angrily.

"Wait, he took advantage of you?" Remus asked. The thought of anyone taking advantage of his Sirius pissed him off.

"He was my study partner," Sirius explained. "The courses there were different so I was behind in some places, advanced in others. So Willem was assigned to help me to catch up. He was lovely and sweet and everything and I thought we were becoming good friends. That friendship lasted about a year and suddenly out of the blue, he snogs me and I freak out and run away. After a lot of soul-searching, I guess you'd call it, I admitted to myself that the kiss sparked things in me that I never... I realised I really liked kissing guys, so I went back to him. Next thing you know he's talked me into his bed, we've... 'fucked'," Sirius hissed. "But the best part about it is that he went and told the whole school about it. He bragged about how he was the first to get the Black heir. Seems him and his friends had made bets on it."

Remus felt anger bubbled inside of him. Peter had made it sound completely different. His mind was running through all the hexes and curses he could get away with using on this Willem should he ever meet him. A severing charm between his legs perhaps? That'd teach him for what he'd done to Sirius.

"There was another boy at the school. He was okay, there wasn't as much of a spark there though, but at least he wasn't doing it for a bet or anything at least. We got caught in an empty classroom and my parents got notified seeing as we were both under seventeen. They disowned me and I ended up at James', even though we hadn't spoken for years - I didn't know where else to go. James acted like we had never fallen out at all."

Sirius gave a small smile. "The Potters became my guardians and re-enrolled me at Hogwarts so I could be with James again and away from those 'nasty boys that would take advantage of me,' as Dorea called them. I had a couple of short term flings and Dorea found out. She gave me the most awkward sex-talk in the world about having sex with men and respecting anyone I take into my bed. Also, she went on about not giving 'it' out freely. When I went back for my last year, I had one relationship which fizzled out, and I've had two since leaving Hogwarts. Dorea had been right, I wasn't the sort that wanted flings, I was just scared that someone would use me again so I didn't want to get attached..."

His gaze met Remus' and they both thought about Sirius' words from a few nights before and Remus gave him a small smile.

"What about you? Who was your first kiss?" Sirius asked, looking down at Remus.

"Lily," Remus replied.

"What?" James asked.

"Well, not like that," Remus explained. "It was a test to make certain I didn't like girls. I asked her if I could kiss her to see if it felt nice and it just didn't feel right."

"What about you, James?" Lily asked.

"Three girls. All relationships, the shortest one was four months," James replied. "I've always been quite sure about the relationships I get into."

"Two," Lily admitted. "Though they both seemed to have a problem with Remus' lycanthropy so I dropped them the moment they looked at him wrong. There have been more dates and stuff, but anyone who freaks out that my best friend is a Werewolf doesn't get a second date."

"It's a good thing you're so accepting," Remus said to James with a smile.

Remus couldn't hold back the contented sigh as fingers began to run through his hair again.

**...oOo...**

A few minutes later, the Lupins came through the living room.

"We brought home take-away," John said, holding up a couple of bags. He looked between James and Sirius. "It's tradition that we don't cook and we just eat takeaway and curl up on the sofas with blankets. It's been that way since Remus was five." He paid no mind to the fact that Remus was laying on Sirius' lap, though John's smile was a little bit wider than it usually was the day after the full-moon.

Remus got up from Sirius' lap and both he and Lily followed John from the room. Sirius and James were given orders to stay in the living room and it wasn't long before they were all squeezed onto the sofas, eating takeaway from the trays that Hope had provided them.

**...oOo...**

It was only four days until the wedding, Remus realised. Monday night had been the full moon and Tuesday was spent with Sirius and James, watching movies and sleeping on Sirius' lap.

It was Wednesday now and Remus was panicking that the week was going so quickly. He needed his father's advice today. He needed to sort this out today.

He watched his father appear from the lift as he waited in the entrance of the Ministry. A man stopped John briefly for a conversation and Remus smiled as Frank passed him, greeting him with a pat on the shoulder and promises of going out with the gang again soon.

Finally, John came over and they were ready to go.

They headed to the Leaky Cauldron, quickly finding a table and ordering drinks. They both sipped their drinks and make small talk whilst Remus tried to work out what exactly to ask his father.

"Dad, on Sunday... I might disappoint a lot of people, if I make a choice..." he hesitated. "I'm lost," he finally admitted. "I was so certain before, and now... well, I'm not. I think I know what I should do, but I don't want to let everyone down."

"Remus, this is about your feelings for Sirius, isn't it?" John asked. He was amused at Remus' surprised face – did Remus think he was hiding his feelings that well? Anyone could see by looking at the pair that they were smitten. "Don't look so shocked, I know you too well for you to hide this. You're torn between who to choose."

Remus knew who he was going to choose. His concern was about letting people down. He was scared to make the choice.

"You can't be concerned for people's reactions. If Sunday comes and you are standing up there with Peter, we'll know that you've thought this through and that you've made your mind up and chosen Peter. But if you don't show up Sunday, we'll understand. Sirius is a good man who'll look after you... but it's your own choice, Remus. We'll stand by you whatever you choose."

Remus stared at his father in shock.

"We want you to be happy," John repeated. "You can't divorce and you can't go back on a mating bond. If you are having doubts about Peter, you shouldn't go ahead with this. Even if you don't end up with Sirius, you can't get married if you doubt your or his feelings in this marriage."

Remus nodded.

It was wrong to marry someone he felt nothing for. Even if Peter was cruel, everyone deserved to be loved and he knew he'd never love Peter. So marrying him would stop Peter from finding love too.

"Thanks dad, this has really helped," he said.

John knew not to push him and the small talk began again. John hoped that they wouldn't be seeing much more of Peter.

Remus didn't tell his father his choice, he would see Peter in the morning and tell him first.

Peter deserved to be the first to know that the wedding was going to be called off.

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><p><strong>Review Please :D<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry this is almost a week late, and sorry it's shorter than I had hoped it would be.**

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><p>Remus woke up the next morning feeling better than he had in the last few days. He wasn't as confused about what to do anymore. He had made his mind up about the wedding.<p>

Even if Sirius didn't want him, or it didn't work with Sirius Black, Remus knew he could never be happy with Peter. He had not noticed Peter's behaviour before, but now it was clear that Peter was controlling and cruel and Remus would never bind himself to a man like that. He would rather be alone than miserable.

The headache he had been suffering from had gone now that he wasn't stressing over his choice and he just knew it was going to be a good day.

After he spoke with Peter that was.

Remus made his way to the shower to get ready for the day, before getting dressed and heading downstairs.

He saw his mother tidying the kitchen, dressed to go out, and he kissed her on the cheek in greeting. "Is Lily at work today?" he asked. He had hoped she would be around that day, but Lily worked part time in his father's office at the Ministry, training to take a permanent role.

"She is," Hope replied. "I was hoping you'd come with me to do my shopping this morning."

Remus nodded his head. "Sure," he replied. "I'll just drop back my library books on the way." He headed upstairs to collect the books and it wasn't long before he and his mother were walking up the street towards town.

"So, you seem very cheerful today, darling. How are things?"

"Things... things are good. Actually, things are amazing," Remus said. "I've had a lot on my mind and I've managed to finally make sense of it all."

"That's good," Hope said, watching Remus pull out his beeping phone and smile at the display. She knew that Remus only smiled like that for one person.

"Sirius?" She asked, pleased when he nodded his head.

Remus spent a few minutes texting with Sirius. Sirius had texted to find out how Remus was feeling and suggested a drink that evening.

Remus quickly accepted the offer.

Today was the start of a new life for him, but first he had one person to deal with.

Peter.

**...oOo...**

_'I hope you feel better today. Sirius x'_

_'I do feel much better today. I hope you're having a good day at work. Remus x'_

_'Quite slow, but in Auror work, a slow day is a good day. No crimes or anything. Me and James keep the office entertained so no-one gets bored. x'_

_'No-one could ever be bored in your company. x'_

_'So you're not bored with my company? I've been to your house so much, I worry that I'm imposing and you're all just too polite to tell me to go home. x'_

_'Of course you're not imposing. I like when you come over and you can come over anytime you want. I could never get bored of you, Sirius. Would you ever get bored of me? x'_

_'Remus, even if I saw you every single day for the rest of my life, I would never once be bored of you. It's impossible to be bored around you. I was actually hoping you'd come for a drink with me and James later? x'_

_'Sure. Where should I meet you? x'_

_'Do you want to meet me after work at the Ministry? x'_

_'Sure. I can't wait! x'_

**...oOo...**

Remus dropped some books into the library and had a chat with the librarian. He was quite excited to hear that one of the girls who worked there had left.

He left with an application form for a job - it was shaping up to be a very good day for him.

When the food shopping had been done and unpacked, Remus headed out to go to see Peter. Part of him had hoped that Lily would be back by the time they had finished, so he could ask her for advice on how to tell Peter, but he knew it was something he would need to do on his own.

Having Lily to vent to before he went would have made a lot of difference, he would have been calmer.

**...oOo...**

Remus pushed the door open to Peter's shop, hoping that there were no customers. He hated what he was about to do, but he wasn't going to just not turn up at the altar. He was going to do this properly and tell Peter to his face. Even offer to be the one to tell everyone that the wedding was off.

He wasn't cruel and he thought it only right that he be straight with his fiancé - soon to be ex fiancé.

The bell above the door rang at the door opening and Remus closed it behind him, looking around for Peter. Peter appeared a moment later from the store-room, surprise crossing his face at the sight of Remus.

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked, frowning slightly at the sight of him as though he was displeased to see Remus.

"I just came to talk to you," Remus began.

"I'm in the middle of something," Peter said, looking back towards the store-room. "It can wait, surely?"

Remus shook his head. "This can't wait, it's important," he said. Peter moved around the other side of the counter, his arms folded.

"Well?" He asked impatiently.

"I'm ending things," Remus said. "The wedding is off and I would like to break-up."

He wondered what else he should say. He had hoped that the words would come to him, but he was struggling.

The frown on Peter's face was more prominent now.

"We're not good together, Peter. We both deserve the chance to find love, but neither of us are going to find it in this relationship. I can't marry or bond with someone that I don't love. I can't be with someone who clearly thinks I am below them. Mating is forever for me and I can't accept you as my mate. I can't go ahead with this marriage. I'm happy to inform everyone if -"

"No," Peter snapped. "This wedding is going ahead." He took a step towards Remus. "You're confused because of Sirius, aren't you? Sirius Black came into your life and suddenly you don't listen to what I tell you, you argue with me and now you're calling our wedding off. Don't you see Remus, he's poisoned you against me."

The lies were starting again and Remus could see clearly that Peter was wrong. Sirius didn't try and turn Remus against Peter, Peter managed that all on his own.

"This has nothing to do with Sirius," Remus said. "I've realised that I would be happier alone than with someone who wants to control me. I don't want to have a future with you, Peter. I'm sorry."

"Do you think Sirius would even want you?" Peter snapped, moving closer. "He -"

"He is a decent man," Remus retaliated. "I would rather be alone than in a miserable, unhappy relationship that I am unable to escape from. This ends now. Would you like for me to contact the guests and tell them?"

Peter moved into Remus' personal space and Remus resisted the urge to step backwards.

The pair were distracted by the door opening and a customer walking in.

"Now are you going to tell people, or am I?" Remus repeated, standing his ground and meeting Peter's furious gaze once again.

"I'll do it," Peter said, holding back a snarl. Anger flashed through his eyes.

Remus nodded. "I'm sorry," he said, before turning to leave. Peter's eyes not leaving him.

"Don't think this is over," Peter growled, as Remus walked out the door. Remus looked back with a frown, but Peter was already heading over to serve the customer.

**...oOo...**

Remus returned home to take a shower and get changed. He was nervous about seeing Sirius, not that he thought anything would happen... just that so much had changed since he last saw him. He pulled on the tight jeans that Sirius had loved and a dark blue sweater, before filling out the library application form.

He kissed his mother on the cheek and left the house, walking into town to drop in his application form at the library before Apparating to the Ministry.

**...oOo...**

Remus couldn't help but smile when he saw Sirius and James walk across the Ministry towards him. He saw Sirius' face light up when Sirius spotted him.

This is how it should feel. He knew that now, and he wasn't going to make that mistake again. He wasn't going to attempt to have a future where he couldn't fall in love and be as happy as he could be.

"You ready?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded his head. He would have a great night out to celebrate his new single status. He hoped Lily was coming out, he wanted to tell her first.

**...oOo...**

The three of them made their way to the Three Broomsticks, Sirius insisting on buying a round of drinks. Remus listened as Sirius and James talked about their day at work as they drank their drinks.

"So, how was your day?" James asked.

"And how are you feeling?" Sirius asked. "Are you all better after the full moon, or..."

"I'm better," Remus said. "I had a good day. I found out there was a job in the library, so I gave an application in. I went to see Peter and -"

"There you are," Lily said, rushing over. "Come with me." She grabbed Remus' hand and dragged him away from the bar, James and Sirius falling into step next to him.

Remus frowned between the trio that were leading him somewhere, but before he could ask, he was being pulled through a door in the Three Broomsticks and into the next room where a small get together had been organised. His parents, uncle and a couple of his cousins were there, as were the Longbottoms.

"What's going on?"

"Your stag-do," Sirius said. "It was going to be guys and Lily only, but we thought you'd have more fun with a get together instead. You last few days of freedom."

Remus looked around at everyone again, before looking back at Sirius.

"Gotta give you a good send off," he added, though the smile on his lips looked slightly forced.

Remus wanted nothing more than to tell Sirius the wedding was off, but he wasn't ready to shout it to the room.

"Thank you," he said. "Let me get a round -"

"Nope, you just drink away, Remus. There is a tab that you most certainly won't be covering. We just want you to have a great night," James said.

**...oOo...**

"You look really happy... more than you have these last few days," John said, after watching Remus laughing with his friends.

"I've done it, I made my choice," Remus replied.

"I'm glad you've worked it out," John said, his heart sinking. Did Remus choose Peter? Surely if he had chosen Sirius, the stag-do wouldn't still be happening.

He sighed inaudibly.

"Sirius is great, isn't he?" Remus said, staring at Sirius who was spinning Lily across the floor, his friend laughing at the pure-blood's antics.

"He is," John said, a shred of hope inside him.

"And... you... you all like Sirius?" Remus checked.

"We do," John said, smiling slightly. "He's a good man and I like the friendship you both have. I think he's good for you."

"So, if he were to come to our family dinner at the house on Sunday?" Remus asked.

John grinned. "He's like part of the family," he said. "You better tell him we expect both him and James to be there."

"I will," Remus said, his eyes not moving from the dance floor.

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><p><strong>Review Please :)<strong>

**Still quite a bit to go of this story!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry I'm a week behind and this is a bit shorter than I expected it to be.**

**Thanks to Writhen Heart for betaing for me :)**

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><p>Remus couldn't stop smiling as he spoke with his friends and family. He wasn't quite sure how to tell them that the wedding was off and no-one seemed to even want to talk about the wedding or Peter for Remus to slip it into conversation.<p>

He watched as Sirius slipped outside and contemplated following Sirius out, telling the man the news and hoping that Sirius would feel something for him and maybe, just maybe Sirius would want to go out with him... that Sirius was still attracted to him.

But Remus was scared. Not knowing meant that he still had a chance, he didn't know what he'd do if Sirius turned around and said he wasn't interested after all - said that he had changed his mind and wasn't attracted to Remus.

It wouldn't be the end of the world, because Remus would still rather be alone than with Peter, but he was falling hard for Sirius despite the short time he had known the man.

But as long as Sirius was part of his life - friend or... lover, Remus would be happy. He found himself blushing at the thought of Sirius being his lover, maybe even his mate one day.

One step at a time, he reminded himself.

**...oOo...**

"Hold on," Sirius said, answering the call from Peter and heading outside. He took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted to be doing was dealing with Peter right now. Wasn't it bad enough that he had to physically push down these intense feelings for Remus just to give the guy a great stag-do - now he had to deal with Peter Pettigrew, who in Sirius' opinion, just wasn't good enough for Remus?

Not that he would say that - if Remus wanted to be with Peter, Sirius couldn't really stop him.

"Sirius?" Peter snapped.

"Yeah, it was noisy in there. What's up?" Sirius asked.

"Like you don't know," came the snarl. "You caused all this. You took him from me."

"I what?"

"You are the reason Remus left me. Why he called off the wedding earlier. You stole him. He's mine."

"He called it off?" Sirius repeated, hope filling him.

"Because of you. Because he has some insane notion that you'd actually want him." Peter laughed cruelly. "Like the likes of us would lower ourselves, right?"

"Lower ourselves?" Sirius repeated, shocked at Peter's words.

"For something like that. He's lucky I even looked twice at him, I'm sure you could do better easily. You are a Black after all, even if you aren't one of the family. At least your blood is pure."

Sirius stopped trying to interrupt. Lower himself? Did Peter really think that he was lowering himself with Remus? Remus was the most amazing man he had ever met. If anything, Remus would be lowering himself to be with Peter. Or himself, he was just a disowned nothing, after all.

Something struck him as odd about the comment about his blood and being a Black, but he decided to work that out later, his focus was solely on Remus' new single status.

"Disgusting little wolf thinks he can leave me," Peter continued. "I'll teach him what happens to anyone who gets on the wrong side of me. You tell him that he will come back to me otherwise what he's seen already will be the least of what's to come."

Sirius hung up the call, not wanting to hear another word from Peter's mouth. He'd save what he had to say for when he saw Peter next, but right now he wanted to find Remus and talk to him.

**...oOo...**

Sirius' eyes sought out Remus as he walked back in. He took in the wide and relieved smile on his lips. Remus looked happier in that moment than Sirius had seen him since they'd met.

The words he had just heard rang through his head. Peter thought Remus was below him. Peter threatened Remus.

And what did Peter mean by 'what he's seen already will be the least of what's to come'. What exactly did that mean? What had Peter done to Remus?

Sirius walked through the party, and took Remus' arm, distracting him from his conversation with Lily. "Come, we need to talk," he said, leading Remus out. Remus followed without question, with Remus' parents, Lily and James watching after them in hope.

Sirius walked them around the corner of the Three Broomsticks and wrapped Remus into a hug. He felt arms wrap tightly around him in return.

"I'm going to Apparate us into mine," Sirius whispered. He felt Remus nod against his shoulder and within seconds they were standing in the middle of Sirius' living room.

**...oOo...**

"Peter called me," Sirius said, pulling out of the hug.

"When? What did he say?" Remus asked nervously.

"Some not very nice things," Sirius admitted. "Remus, what did he do to you?"

Remus moved away from Sirius, heading towards the kitchen, suddenly in need of a cup of tea. Sirius followed him, lingering in the doorway as he watched Remus make two cups. He liked that Remus felt comfortable enough to do this. He entertained himself with thoughts of this being a regular thing - Remus in his kitchen with him.

"Milk, sugar?" Remus asked.

Sirius nodded and moved to Remus' side and finished making his own tea. He grabbed some chocolate out of the cupboard, wondering if Remus would need it when he talked and they headed back into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

"Peter blames me for you breaking up with him," Sirius began gently. He didn't want Remus to think he was upset with him, he never wanted that. He just wanted to know what was going on so he knew how best to help Remus through this.

He pushed aside thoughts that Remus was single. He'd think about that another time, right now he would be Remus' friend and look after him.

"What did he say?" Remus asked.

"He said... He said you were... I don't understand, but he says that guys like me and him would never lower ourselves to be with someone like you. How you were lucky that he looked twice at you." The words hurt Sirius as they passed his lips. "He called you a disgusting little wolf and made a threat if you don't go back to him."

He saw a hurt look cross Remus' face.

"Which part bothers you?" Sirius asked, shifting closer.

"Nothing I haven't already heard from him, he made it quite clear the other day that he was lowering himself and that we weren't equal," Remus said bitterly. "I'm not going back to him."

"You know that his view is just _his_ view, right?" Sirius said, taking Remus' hand. "Not everyone thinks that, there are some good wizards out there. Some of us look past everything and just see the amazing man that you are."

"Some of us?" The hurt look on Remus' face faded and Sirius wondered if Remus had been worried if Sirius thought the same way.

"Me. I see how amazing you are," Sirius admitted. "I don't think the same as him."

"I was hoping you'd say something like that," Remus whispered, his lips beginning to stretch into a smile. "Am I wrong in hoping that the attraction you said you had for me was still here? That you still -"

"Still see a future with you?" Sirius finished for him. "Yes, I still want to be with you. Knowing you were going to get married and be with someone else was killing me. I can't tell you how many times I've had to restrain myself around you because you weren't mine."

"I was never really Peter's. I never loved him or anything," Remus admitted.

"Do you still feel anything for me?" Sirius asked, clutching Remus' hand. He scolded himself, he was supposed to be comforting Remus through his breakup, not checking that Remus still fancied him.

Remus nodded his head. "I'm mad about you," he said. "I only want a future with you."

Before Sirius could even process the words, soft lips nervously pressed against his. It was barely a brushing of their lips, but it was perfect.

It was in that moment that Sirius was completely lost to Remus. All his good intentions involving being a good friend and talking Remus though the break-up and being there for Remus were gone.

All he cared about was that Remus Lupin wanted a future with him; that Remus felt something for him and that Remus kissed him.

Sirius was determined that he wouldn't mess this up like Peter had. He'd make sure Remus always knew how special he was.

"Was that okay?" Remus asked, moving away, and trying to work out what the dazed expression on Sirius' face meant. "Peter didn't like it when I tried to kiss h-"

Sirius didn't want to hear about Peter, he pulled Remus in for another kiss, determined to make the other man's mind clear of all thoughts that weren't about Sirius Black.

Remus struggled to catch his breath after they moved away from each other the second time. He had never been kissed like that and he hadn't wanted to stop. He could never get tired of feeling that. Ever.

"You can kiss me whenever you want," Sirius murmured, reaching up to play with a strand of Remus' hair that he had planned on tucking behind Remus' ear. "Does this mean we're dating now?"

Remus quickly nodded his head.

"Brilliant. Are you tired?" Sirius asked.

"No, why?"

"Because we're going out. It's our first date, whatever you want to do, Remus."

The pair paused as Sirius' phone began to ring and Sirius pulled it from his pocket, spotting Peter's name.

Glaring at the mobile, he switched it off and shoved it back into his pocket. He walked over to the desk in the corner and quickly wrote a note for James, before taking Remus' hand in his own, allowing himself a second to realise how perfect they fit together, and led Remus from the flat.

Sirius decided that they would have an amazing date, and when the date was over, Sirius would go and pay a visit to Peter and make sure Peter never came near Remus again.

No-one threatened HIS Remus and got away with it.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Please leave a review.<strong>

**Also please check out the joint account me and Hato-ryou-chan made - WolfandStar. We've got the first chapter of a MC on there. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry about the delay in this chapter. I'm struggling with this story at the moment. I know where I want it to go and what I want to happen, it's just getting there that is the problem.**

**Thanks to Writhen Heart for betaing and Rayniekinnz for listening to me and helping when I've been trying to work this out! Also to Firefly for helping me come up with Remus' pendant. :)**

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><p>Remus woke up in Sirius' bed the next morning. It took him a moment to realise the comfortable bed he was asleep on wasn't his own. He smiled and reached out, his arm searching for Sirius, but coming up empty. He opened his eyes and touched the empty space where Sirius had been laying the night before as they talked, getting to know each other.<p>

Cold.

Sirius had been gone for a little while at least. The slight frown on Remus' face disappeared when he saw a bit of folded parchment with his name on.

He was disappointed at not having woken up next to Sirius. That had been his last thought the night before, waking up in Sirius Black's arms.

But there would be other nights, Sirius had been very clear about that. About how important Remus was to him. About wanting a future together.

When Sirius was his mate, they'd spend almost every night together.

At that thought, Remus smiled and reached for the parchment. Settling back on the pillows in the middle of the bed, Remus unfolded the parchment.

_'My Remus,_

_Last night was amazing. I'm sorry I'm not there right now - I needed to go and run an errand before work, but I couldn't bring myself to wake you up. You just looked perfect sleeping in my bed. I'll be there when you wake up next time you stay with me._

_I did make breakfast for you before I left, I mean what kind of man would I be if I left you to go hungry. It's on the counter in the kitchen and the warming charm will last a while longer._

_You're welcome to wait in the flat for me if you want to, or if you have plans, let me know when I can see you again, because those few hours yesterday evening weren't nearly enough and I can't wait to spend more time with you._

_You can stay over again tonight if you want, because I'd really like to fall asleep with you in my arms again._

_If you do want to stay, make yourself at home. There's food and drink in the fridge. James' games console and there are books in both my room (somewhere) and the living room that you are more than welcome to read._

_Sirius_

_P.S - you look gorgeous when you sleep. Looking forward to many more mornings of waking up next to you.'_

Remus placed the note back, not able to stop the smile on his face. He looked forward to that too. Despite the offer to stick around, Remus needed to go home and tell his parents about the wedding being called off - but he would come back to Sirius' that evening and take him up on the offer to stay over again.

As he climbed out of the bed, his phone began to ring. He looked at the screen.

Peter.

**...oOo...**

Sirius read through the messages on his phone, sure that Remus would have similar messages. Peter had been calling through the night according to the call log, and Sirius was determined to put a stop to it.

Remus was his now. Remus had left a horrible ex who had treated him like crap and Sirius couldn't even bring himself to feel sorry for Peter.

Peter didn't deserve Remus in the slightest.

His eyes moved over each text message.

_'Remus is mine'_

_'Remus belongs to me'_

_'The wedding will happen on Sunday.'_

_'He WILL come back to me'_

_'If you even touch him, I'll kill you.'_

_'I trusted you. You're supposed to be my friend.'_

_'You disgust me, stealing another man's fiancé. Just you wait and see, Sirius. Both of you are making big mistakes.'_

Sirius glared at his phone. He was going to see Peter straight away and get Peter to stop.

He put breakfast on to cook as he wrote the letter for Remus. He served the large breakfast up and placed a cover over it and a charm to keep it warm before walking into the bedroom.

He smiled at the sight of Remus curled up in his bed. What would hopefully one day become their bed. He shivered at the thought and couldn't resist leaning over the bed and letting his lips touch Remus' for a second.

"I'll see you later, love," he whispered, pushing the hair from Remus' face, and pulling the blankets around him. He still couldn't believe that Remus was his. That someone as amazing as Remus wanted to be with him. He couldn't help the wide smile on his lips, he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Sirius fixed the parchment so Remus would see it and left the room, closing the door after him, before grabbing his jacket and quietly leaving the flat.

**...oOo...**

It wasn't long before Sirius found himself at Peter's front door. He knew Peter was a really early riser and he knocked loudly.

After another couple of tries, he pulled his phone out and called Peter's number.

"Are you at home?" He asked, the second the call connected.

"At the shop," came the curt reply. Sirius hung up the call and walked away from the flat. Had he known Peter was in his shop, he could have Floo'd straight to Diagon Alley and saved time.

Instead, he walked to the Apparation point. He still had enough time to see Peter before work, and if he was a little bit late, which wasn't a habit for him, James would cover for him.

A few minutes later, Sirius knocked on the door of the shop, trying to peek in. He watched a figure appear from the back room and unlock the shop, lifting the wards and finally pulling the door open.

"Black."

"Peter," Sirius replied, stepping inside and looking around and he turned back to look at Peter as Peter closed the door again and locked it.

"We don't open for another half an hour," Peter said. "Let's make this quick."

Sirius nodded.

**...oOo...**

A few minutes after hanging up the phone on Sirius, Peter called Remus. He knew Sirius wouldn't take much longer to arrive at the shop and wanted to check how Remus felt about the man who was supposed to stand by his side during the wedding. He would give Remus one last chance before things got bad.

"Remus, I can forgive you for yesterday. We can forget it happened and carry on how we were. I'll try harder to make you happy."

"I'm sorry Peter, I don't want to be with you," Remus replied.

"Do you love him?" Peter asked.

Remus hesitated for a long time. It felt wrong to tell Peter that he loved someone else, but maybe if Peter understood Remus' feelings for Sirius, he'd realise just why the wedding couldn't happen.

"I do, I love him more than anything. I'm sorry Peter, I never planned to fall in love with him."

Peter hung up and heard a knock at the door. He quickly let Sirius in. He hadn't wanted too many people involved, but he had no choice now.

**...oOo...**

"I'm here because of Remus," Sirius said. Peter's eyes wandered to where Sirius' hand was hovering near his pocket in case Peter tried to hex him. Smart of Sirius really, Peter had big plans for him.

"Just tell me why you want that pathetic wolf?" Peter asked. He couldn't help but be curious. He didn't quite understand Sirius Black. The man could have been the heir of the most powerful wizarding family and had his pick of the wizards.

But he was choosing something that wasn't even human.

"Tell me why you so clearly don't?" Sirius replied. "Remus is amazing. He's smart, kind, sweet... why were you marrying him if you dislike him?"

"Because he's important," Peter replied.

"Important? Important to you?" Sirius replied, confused.

"Important to everything we've been working for," Peter said.

"You know what, I couldn't care less as to the reasons you had for marrying him. You treated him like crap and I'm here to tell - no, to warn you - to stay away from him in future. I don't want you to call him, text him or even approach him. In fact -"

"Stupify," came a shout from behind Sirius, giving Sirius no time to react before the spell hit him.

"It's a shame that you weren't smart enough to watch your back," Peter spat as Sirius hit the floor.

With a nod to his colleague, he approached the body. He needed some proof for Remus. He began to reach for Sirius' hand to take the family ring he still wore, but his gaze fell on the necklace that came out of Sirius' shirt.

It was something he had seen Remus wear before, in fact, it was something that Remus never seemed to take off.

It was a small Lupin family crest pendant and Remus had given it to Sirius. That would do perfectly.

He reached down and took the pendant from around Sirius' neck before the other man levitated Sirius Black from the room.

Peter slipped the necklace into his pocket. He knew Remus would come looking for Sirius, and knew that Remus loved Sirius. He had no doubts whatsoever that the Werewolf would do whatever Peter wanted in return for Sirius Black.

He began to search for some clean parchment and a quill. He had a message to send.

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><p><strong>I'm so sorry. You were all so happy that they finally were together and I've just done this!<strong>

**I know that as an Auror, Sirius would be careful and be trained to fight... but on the other hand, I think that Sirius would think that Peter was no threat whatsoever so would never even consider that Peter would have backup.**

**Review please.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks to Writhen Heart for betaing.**

**Sorry about the delays in this story.**

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><p>Remus finally climbed out of bed and looked around Sirius' bedroom. Next to his clothes on the chair, he spotted a couple of folded towels and couldn't help but smile at how thoughtful Sirius was. Placing the note he had been reading onto the bed, Remus grabbed the towels and left the room.<p>

He cast a spell to see if he was alone in the flat. He quickly worked out that James had already left for work and Remus headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

He took his time under the spray of the water, his thoughts drifting to Sirius' note - where he had told Remus to stick around. The way Sirius had left the towels out for him, made him breakfast and just the way Sirius treated him.

It was more than he ever imagined.

It was the perfect morning to follow the most amazing evening. The only thing that would have made it complete would be to have woken with Sirius in his arms; to feel Sirius' warmth against his skin. It would have been perfect to look into those amazing grey eyes when he woke up.

**...oOo...**

Twenty minutes later, Remus finally stepped out of the shower and dried off. He got dressed and put the towels in the washing basket and headed to the dining table, where a plate was waiting for him next to a vase with a single moss rose.

His eyes fell on the parchment next to the vase.

_'Remus_

_Hope you enjoy it._

_Sirius x_

_P.S - James, if you even so much as think about eating this, I will end you.'_

He sat down, his gaze on the full-English breakfast Sirius had cooked him and pulled out his phone.

'You dirty stopout, Remus Lupin. I would come over there, but I don't want to see you and Sirius shagging. You are shagging, right? I want to know everything. Every. Little. Detail. You bloody slut, I love you and this is fantastic! TEXT ME BACK. Lily.'

Remus smiled.

_'We went out to dinner and spent all night talking and getting to know each other. I know without a doubt that I want to be with Sirius. That I want him to be my mate. He's so sweet - he's already left for work, but he made me breakfast and everything. I'll be home soon and I'll tell mum and dad that the wedding is off.'_

**...oOo…**

Remus was washing up the plates when the owl arrived. After a quick search around the kitchen, he found some owl treats and offered the owl one after taking the letter from its leg.

He opened the letter and stared at the pendant that fell out in confusion. Why was it being sent to him? He had given it to Sirius the night before.

Panic settled over him - maybe Sirius had changed his mind, choosing not to be with him anymore? Maybe this letter was to say he didn't want Remus.

Remus forced himself to look at the letter, his fingers going up to the star pendant that Sirius had given him the night before.

'The wedding WILL go ahead on Sunday, or you'll never see Sirius again.

Peter'

Remus dropped the parchment onto the counter and rushed to put his Converses on. He pulled his phone out to call Lily and froze.

What would he tell her?

Would Peter hurt Sirius if he involved Lily too?

After a moment's contemplation, he put his phone back into his pocket, stepped into the Floo and headed to Diagon Alley. He'd check the shop for Peter first. He'd decide what to tell Lily later.

**...oOo...**

"Where is he?" Remus asked, throwing the door open as he walked into the shop. The short journey had only mounted his anger.

His eyes darted to the two customers in the shop who were staring at him.

"Get out," he growled at them, and he watched the pair quickly leave. His eyes turned to Peter and he couldn't help but growl again and bare his teeth. Peter had taken Sirius from him. Sirius who was his future mate. Siriuswhom he loved.

"You called me to ask if I loved him. Did you already have him?" Remus asked.

Peter smiled coldly. "He was on his way here," Peter said. "I needed to know if he was of use to me."

Remus advanced towards Peter, taking joy in the look of fear that passed over Peter's face once Remus was close enough to harm him. A wand was pointed at him, and Remus' wand was against Peter's neck.

"Where is he?"

"Somewhere you'll never find him if you hurt me now."

"Oh Peter, I'm sure I can pull the answer from you," Remus growled. "You've taken the man I love away. Let me just tell you that you're not just dealing with Remus anymore, you're dealing with a very angry wolf that really wants to be let free so it can... convince you into giving up Sirius' location."

"Back, wolf," came a voice from behind Peter and Remus looked up at an unfamiliar face.

"What will it take to get Sirius back unharmed?" Remus asked, trying to restrain himself from diving at Peter and doing something violent.

"The wedding will go ahead on Sunday."

"But -"

"Or Sirius Black dies. Clearly I haven't done this alone. You just see me and my friend, how many more of us do you think there are?"

Remus' eyes moved back to Peter's friend.

"Decide now. If you leave, Sirius will be dead before you even get out of the door."

Remus glanced between the two men and could see that they were both telling the truth - that they would kill Sirius if Remus didn't do what they said.

He wasn't going to risk Sirius' life.

"Whatever you want. As long as you swear that Sirius will be freed unharmed."

"The wedding?"

"I'll..." his gaze moved between the men again. "I'll do it. The moment that ceremony is over, you let him go, you free him. I want him unharmed - mentally and physically. No curses, no mistreatment of any kind."

"You'll co-operate? You'll keep this a secret?"

"If that's what it takes to ensure Sirius' safety," Remus agreed. "Why though? Why do

you want to marry me?"

"Because I have plans for us, Remus. Plans that Sirius almost put a stop to."

**...oOo...**

Remus stepped out of the Floo to find his whole family sitting in the living room watching TV. He checked the time, realising it had gotten late.

He had spent the rest of the afternoon walking around aimlessly, trying to think of a way to save Sirius. He had no plans except to go along with Peter.

He barely paid attention to the way they all looked at each other before his father was the one to broach the subject.

"So... you were saying about dinner on Sunday?" John began.

"Has to be a different Sunday," Remus said stiffly. "The wedding is this Sunday." With that, he left the room and headed to his own, hoping that was enough for his parents and Lily to get the hint.

Lily stood up and looked towards the hallway for a moment before deciding to pay a visit to Sirius. Surely he would be the one with the answers as to what happened - she knew Remus well enough to not say a word to was clear that he wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

**...oOo...**

"James?" She said, stepping out. She looked around, noticing the place was empty. A quick spell confirmed that and she sat down on the sofa and waited.

It was about an hour before the Floo lit up and James stepped out.

"Lily?"

"Where is Sirius?" she asked.

"I'm assuming with Remus," James replied. "Why?"

"Remus came home an hour ago. The wedding is still on."

"No... No, that's not right. You've got it wrong. When I left this morning, Remus was curled up in Sirius' bed. There was breakfast made up for him with a flower and everything," James argued, sitting down on the sofa next to Lily, his face showing his confusion.

"Did Sirius say anything to you this morning?" Lily asked.

"No," James replied. "He wasn't here when I woke up and because of the breakfast for Remus, I assumed he had somewhere to be. He didn't show in work, I thought he came back here to spend the day with Remus. I thought they'd have spent the day in bed together. Are you sure he's not -"

"I've checked," Lily said. "Do you want to call Sirius and find out what happened? I had a text a little while before from Remus saying that he wanted to be with Sirius and that he'd tell mum and dad the wedding was off."

James nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket. He flicked through the contacts and dialled Sirius.

"Hey mate, why is your phone off? Can you give me a call when you get this - Remus said the wedding was back on and I need to know what happened. We all need to know. Last we saw, you and Remus left the party together. Call me."

James hung up the phone, frowning.

"That was weird. Sirius never turns the phone off," he muttered. "Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Do you want a drink?"

Lily nodded her head and James went into the kitchen. Only a few seconds later, James rushed out and over to her, a letter clutched in his hand.

"Here," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

Lily took the parchment, her eyes on the pendant. "That's Remus' pendant," she said.

"Read it," James insisted.

Lily read the few words that Peter had written and felt cold. This is why Remus was still marrying Peter. Peter had done something to Sirius and Lily knew Remus well enough that he would do anything to keep Sirius safe, including giving up his own freedom and life.

Her eyes met James'.

"We'll find a way to save Sirius before the wedding, they belong together. It'd break Sirius if he lost Remus," James said.

"We don't have a lot of time," Lily whispered.

"The question is... why does Peter want Remus? He doesn't love him," James mused.

"Remus wouldn't have cheated. If he spent the night with Sirius, it'd be because he ended things with Peter," Lily said. "He came into the party looking happier than ever and told dad that he's made his choice. He followed that by saying he wanted to invite Sirius over for our family dinner on Sunday. Then he left the party with Sirius," Lily replied.

"And Sirius, being the prat that he is, goes to talk to Peter and doesn't watch himself. No way Peter could have taken Sirius out alone," James added.

"So he has help?" Lily said, thinking hard.

"But it's a wedding to a Werewolf. Don't get me wrong, Remus is a great guy, but that's always bugged me about the situation since the Pettigrew family are like the Blacks in their views. Peter was the same - he hated anyone he thought to be below him. Something just didn't feel right the moment I found out he was marrying Remus. He's not the type to get over prejudices... and the Pettigrews are the type to disown him for it."

Lily was silent for a long time.

"We need to work this out," James said. "Where did they meet? How did they meet?"

"Remus met Peter in Hogsmeade. It was one of those cute things... according to Remus.

Peter was behind him in the queue and Remus turned and spilt some of his drink and they got to chatting and Peter said he had noticed Remus around," Lily explained.

"And Remus... does he work? Has he worked since meeting Peter?" James asked, trying to put the pieces together.

"He doesn't work..." Lily began slowly, hesitating. "But..."

"But?" James pushed.

"But the reason he was in Hogsmeade was because he had a meeting with Dumbledore," Lily continued.

James froze, staring at her for ages, waiting for more.

"I'm not supposed to..." Lily whispered.

"Lily, is Remus... part... he's not in the Order, is he?" James asked.

Lily nodded her head. "You know about..."

"Shit," James said, jumping up from the sofa. "It's got something to do with the Order, I just know it."

"No, Remus wouldn't have told him anything about his work -" Lily began.

"But according to your story of how they met, Peter had been watching him," James pointed out. "He had been watching Remus coming down from the castle. Maybe he had worked it out, or was fishing and managed to catch a very important fish? What exactly was Remus involved in?"

Lily tried to catch her breath. No. This wasn't it. It was simpler than being caught up with Death Eaters… wasn't it?

"Lily," James said softly. "If I'm right, then no matter what Remus does on Sunday, he's in danger. Both him and Sirius. I need to know exactly what he was doing for the Order."

"Werewolves," Lily finally whispered. "He's been recruiting them for Dumbledore. He's managed to gain their trust. Basically, they're just waiting for Remus to call on them and they're Dumbledore's."

James stared at her as everything clicked into place. "The pureblood vows. Remus would have to obey Peter. Peter being the dominant one would make him the alpha, therefore controlling the wolf. This marriage means that Peter has an army of Werewolves at his disposal. Plus, Remus' death at the end of it won't affect him unless Remus was the dominant one."

"Fuck," Lily whispered.

"Remus hasn't seen Peter in any state of undress to see his arm? To see if there's a Dark Mark?"

"No they were waiting for... no. I have to warn -"

"No," James said. "What we're going to do is find Sirius. We need to find him so Peter has no way to blackmail Remus into this. We're going to find out if there is a way to break marriage bonds for Werewolves, or prevent them from sticking."

"But Sirius, how do we find him?" Lily said, trying not to panic.

"I don't know," James admitted. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I suggest we find a way to stop the wedding. We can't risk kidnapping Peter in case anyone else is involved in this, but that'll be our last resort."

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><p><strong>Right, so now you all know why Peter was marrying Remus.<strong>

**Review please :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**I'm sorry these chapters aren't weekly as I wanted to put them up. I'll have the next one out as soon as possible.**

**Thanks to everyone who is reading/reviewing/following this story :)**

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><p>"Remus, we need to talk," Lily said as Remus stepped through the floo into the apartment after James had texted him to come over. He had contemplated not answering the text, but decided that he would rather deal with the questions away from home - away from his mum and dad.<p>

He didn't want his parents involved in the mess that he had gotten them into. It was best that for now, they thought he wanted to be with Peter whilst he worked out what he was going to do - work out how to free Sirius.

"What about?" Remus asked, knowing full well why they wanted to talk to him.

"It's about Peter," Lily said. "Me and James have worked a few things out." she glanced to where James stood tensely on the other side of the room, concern clear on his face.

"So have I," Remus said, looking between them. "I worked out that marrying Peter is for the best."

"I've seen these on TV," Lily continued. "They work on TV, so we're doing this for you -"

"Doing what?" Remus interrupted. "Lily, get to the point please." He wasn't in the mood for any of this, he just wanted to go home. He just wanted to be left alone. He wanted to forget about Sunday and just think about the amazing previous night and that morning before Peter's letter arrived.

"Mate, this is an intervention," James explained. "We're trying to convince you not to marry Peter."

"Remus, you can't marry Peter," Lily said. "We'll get Sirius back another way."

Panic rose in Remus as his gaze quickly moved between the pair. "What do you know?" He whispered. "How? Tell me. Who told you?"

"If you wanted it to be kept a secret, you should have taken the letters with you," James said. "Sirius wouldn't want you to marry Peter to save him -".

"Well, we can't really ask him now, can we?" Remus snapped. "It's my fault that he's in this situation in the first place, and it's my job to protect him - to free him."

"Actually, that's not your job at all," James replied. "He's my family, it's my job to free him… but I think you're the best bet to find out where he is. You or Andromeda."

"Andromeda?" Remus asked, confused. "What can she do?"

"She's got a contact," James said. "She might know where Sirius is, or be able to find out."

"I'm afraid you've lost me," Remus muttered, looking between the pair in confusion. "Would you care to explain?"

"Remus, Peter is a Death Eater," Lily said.

"No, that makes no sense," Remus argued, shaking his head. "He's just… he's not a Death Eater."

"It makes more sense than anything," Lily explained. "He's after your control over the Werewolves."

"Think about it. You met in Hogsmeade and he said he had seen you around? But was that only in Hogsmeade - when you had left the castle? Clearly too old to be a student and you're not a Professor…" James said.

"He set up meeting you so he could find out anything he could. He sweet talked you, but I know you'd never tell what you were doing. I think he worked it out and then pushed for the marriage with the pure-blood vows so you have to do whatever he asks."

"Did Sirius know? Is that why he… why he wants to be with me? To stop Peter -" Remus began, his voice shaking slightly.

"No," James jumped in. "Sirius fell for you the moment he met you. When I last saw him at your stag-do, he didn't have a clue in the slightest about Peter being a Death Eater or about you being part of the Order."

"So Sirius really -".

"Of course he does," Lily interrupted. "Now, we have to work out what to do."

"No, I know exactly what I need to do," Remus replied. "On Sunday, I'm going to be at that church, I'm going to go ahead with the wedding and I'm going to find Sirius."

"Remus, don't. We can help you -". Lily said.

"I went to see him after I got the letter. I was told not to tell anyone. If he finds out you all know, who knows what he'll do to Sirius. If you lot want to do your own plan, go ahead, but the only thing that matters is finding Sirius alive."

"No, you matter too."

"It's my fault for falling for all Peter's lies," Remus said. "I should have ended it long ago, but I didn't. It's my fault Sirius is gone, I'll do what it takes to free him."

He stepped into the floo and disappeared.

**...oOo…**

"Lucius has agreed to attend the Stag-do that Peter had invited him to tonight," Andromeda said, walking back into the room.

"Lucius? Lucius is your -"

"He is," Andromeda interrupted in a tone that clearly meant there was no room for argument. "He has passed very valuable information across, as you know. I don't think there is anything else we can do right now."

"What if he can't find out?" James asked, looking around the room. "Are we just going to let Remus marry Peter?"

"No," Lily quickly said. "Instead of sitting around and doing nothing until Lucius gets back with information, we research. We try and find a way to stop the bond from working."

James quickly ran through ideas in his mind. May which involved torturing Peter Pettigrew. Finally he nodded his head. "Right. Where should we start?"

"I know there are a few books on marriage in the study," Ted offered. "Might be some on bonds, I'll help you look through them."

**...oOo…**

Sirius woke up in a cold room, his head pounding. He quickly got up, his eyes falling on the man in the doorway.

Peter.

Not even reaching for his wand, he rushed towards the man but hit a shield, flying backwards, hitting the wall.

"Pettigrew," he snarled, getting up from the floor.

"Don't worry, we're not going to do anything to you just yet," Peter said. "We need proof that you are alive, how else am I going to keep Remus under control?"

"Why are you doing this?" Sirius asked, his hand feeling for his wand but it coming up empty.

"Because Remus is mine, and you can't have him," Peter said. "With you here, Remus has agreed to do whatever I want to keep you safe."

"Fuck you," Sirius shouted, getting up and moving closer, his hand out to find the shield. "Fight me like a man, not the snivelly little coward you've always been."

"I'd be careful with my words if I were you," Peter replied, looking amused. "He expects you returned in one piece. Not that he'll ever have you, he'll be mine. He'll be bonded with me, I'll take him, make him my mate… knowing that I'll be getting what you so desperately want for once… I might actually enjoy it."

"What?"

"You've always had what I wanted," Peter snarled. "You just walked into the school like you owned it. You made sure that I relied on you. You took Alexander away from me."

"Alexander?" Sirius repeated in confusion.

"Alexander Poliakoff. He was mine, I wanted him and you didn't care, you stole him away. Now you're taking what's mine, again!"

"Alexander was never yours. You never said you felt anything for him, you never made a move. You think I would have let anything happen if I knew how you felt about him?" Sirius replied. "But this is different. I love Remus, I want to spend my life with him. Surely your grudge against me isn't that strong? Think about this, Peter. Really think. Do you really want to force someone into marrying you? Someone who loves someone else? Or do you want to wait until you find someone who loves you?"

Peter stared at him, his eyes cold.

"You said about Remus not being worthy and you talk about blood," Sirius replied, trying to get through to Peter."Well, you're a pureblood and I don't doubt that there are a lot of witches or wizards who would be happy to marry you, but you're marrying Remus - who you don't even want. Why - is it now just to spite me?"

"I will remember this," he hissed. "When I'm breaking your pet. He'll have no choice but to mark me and I'll be the one in control. Come Sunday night, you'll be in here and I'll be taking your Wolf to bed."

Sirius threw himself at the shield again. If Peter touched his Remus, he'd kill Peter with his bare hands.

"I'm going to fucking kill you."

"I'd be careful what I say if I were you," Peter repeated. "If you behave, I might be gentle with him. If you cause trouble, it'll be Remus that suffers."

Sirius stared at him in horror. Would he really hurt Remus? He took a step back from the shield. He needed to think and work out if there was a way for him to get out.

He didn't care that Peter looked delighted at the control he suddenly had, Sirius wasn't going to do anything that could cause any sort of hurt to Remus.

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><p><strong>Review please :)<strong>


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm so sorry, I'm having some writers block.**

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><p>Sunday arrived quickly and Remus found himself staring at the dress-robes hanging in his wardrobe. He hated the sight of them, knowing that they were chosen with Peter in mind. That these were the clothes he would be wearing at his wedding.<p>

Clothes for another man - not his Sirius - not the man he truly had a future with.

He pulled the robes from the wardrobe and placed them in the bed carefully. He stared at them for a moment longer, feeling sick, before turning and leaving the room.

He ignored Lily's attempt to change his mind as he walked to the bathroom, ignored the pleading in her voice as she called his name.

He closed the door behind him and locked it, before switching on the shower and stepping under the water.

He wasn't going to let anyone talk him out of anything. Once this was over, they would all understand. When Sirius was safe in his arms, where he should be; and Peter in Azkaban where he belonged.

Or Peter dead.

He shook that thought out of his head. There was more than just the wolf wanting Peter to suffer for taking Sirius. For whatever he was putting Sirius through. Remus had no doubt that Sirius was suffering right now, but there was nothing he could do at this moment except go along with it.

It was the only way he could determine that Peter would keep Sirius alive.

He focused instead on the one and only date that he had with Sirius, before Peter took him, using the memory to calm himself.

He was going to get through this and get his Sirius back.

**...oOo…**

Remus stepped out of the shower and dried off. He dressed quickly and headed downstairs. With a glance in his parents direction, he headed into the kitchen, with no doubt that Lily would follow.

"Remus, you don't -" She began.

"Lily, just trust me," Remus insisted. "This is what I need to do."

Lily stared at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You have something planned?" She accused.

Remus shrugged, even though his heart was pounding as he thought about Sirius and his plan.

"Like I said, trust me. Now I have to go. I want to have one last look at Sirius' room… I need it, it'll help me through today." With that, he left the room and headed straight to the floo, not wanting to hear anything else from Lily. Peter would suspect Lily to know about any plan he had, so she couldn't know.

**...oOo...**

James jumped up as Remus appeared. His wand lowered as he realised who had come through the floo.

"Before you start," Remus began, raising a hand to stop James from talking, "I have a plan."

James stared at him for a moment. "You couldn't have told me you had a plan earlier?"

"I… I was being stupid, I felt it was my duty to save Sirius - just me. I know that's selfish of me, but I find myself very possessive over him, the need to protect him and save him and I didn't handle that very well."

"Is it a Werewolf thing?" James asked curiously.

"I think it is," Remus replied. "I love him and want to be with him, and I… it feels like it expects me to take care of Sirius alone. But I can't do this alone, I need your help."

"What is the plan? Are we going to call off the wedding?"

"No, I'm going ahead with the wedding," Remus said.

"No," James replied. "You can't do that. You can't marry Peter. He's a bad person, a death eater. He's cruel to you and he's probably tortured Sirius -"

"You can't stop me," Remus interrupted. "I'm going to do this with or without your permission. I just… I believe I know where they are keeping Sirius, so I need someone to get Sirius whilst I'm distracting everyone."

"You're doing this as a distraction?" James said in disbelief.

"Everyone will be expecting either you or me to do something. If we're both at that wedding, they will be watching us, expecting us to cause trouble."

"So how can I help Sirius if I'm at the wedding?" James asked, uncertainly.

"You won't be helping Sirius as such," Remus replied. "There will be a moment in the wedding where magic will be flowing and Peter won't feel the wards of his house coming down… or the wards of his basement - the room he had set for my transformations - I believe that's where he's keeping Sirius."

"What moment?" James asked.

"The bonding," Remus replied. "That is our only hope."

"But that'll only take a minute… two tops," James argued.

"Not if I fight against it," Remus replied.

"But even then, you can only add a few minutes of time at the most before someone realises something is wrong."

"Which is why you need to tell me who you would trust enough to get to those wards and take them down at the right moment. Who do you trust with your life?" Remus asked.

"I know the right people," James said. "But when we free Sirius, you'll still be married... oh, but you're a Werewolf, the bond can be broken if you sleep with someone else." He grinned at Remus. "So how do I alert them to the right moment?"

"Sirius said something about mirrors the pair of you used to communicate?"

"Perfect. Well, can you tell Lily I'll be there soon," James said. "I better get going."

"Remember - he's in the basement. I doubt there will be many guards."

"Are you certain he's in the basement?"

"I had to go over there yesterday," Remus said. "I could smell him… faintly. He's in Peter's place. I wouldn't doubt that he's been thrown in that room for my transformations."

"My friends will make sure he gets out. What about Peter?"

"I don't care about Peter, he took my Sirius away," Remus growled. He shook his head, and looked apologetically at James. "Sorry, I just…"

"Very protective over your boyfriend?"

"I love him," Remus said. "I would do anything at all to make sure he's safe."

"Even marry Peter," James muttered with a sigh. "This is the best chance we have - we'll do this, we'll get Sirius out."

"Also… if things do kick off, because I have something else in store… my parents and Lily…"

"I'll speak to Alice and Frank to keep an eye on your parents and I'll watch out for Lily," James confirmed, grinning. "What you have planned - please tell me it means you won't be married to Peter."

Remus smiled tiredly at him and headed for Sirius' room.

**...oOo…**

He opened the door and looked around. The room was undisturbed, exactly how he had left it. It felt like it was weeks ago he had last been in there, but it had only been a few days.

He slowly moved over to the bed, smiling as he remembered how Sirius had pulled him close as sleep overtook them, and he reached for Sirius' pillow.

He couldn't stop himself burying his face in the pillow, taking a deep breath to get the scent of the man he loved. It was still there, and he smiled into it. He knew it was going to be a trying day, but whatever happened, it was worth it to get Sirius back safe.

He gave himself a couple of minutes, clutching the pillow tightly, before he placed it back onto the bed and stood up. Without the pillow covering his nose, he drew more scents from around the room.

Smirking, he turned and left the room. He felt calmer and more ready for anything. He was going to get Sirius back.

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><p><strong>Review please<strong>

**I really hope to get the next chapter done soon. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

As the group headed towards the Apparation point, there was not one single smile or laugh or joke from any of the party. The tension in the air made it feel like they were heading to a funeral and not to a wedding - something that should be a joyful occasion.

John noticed that Remus walked with determination, his mouth set in a thin line, and the only time he showed anything other than the mask he had on his face, was when he met James' gaze.

They both knew something was going on - something the pair hadn't shared with either them or Lily, as she was watching them as though waiting for something to happen.. well, perhaps she knew something, but it was clear that Remus and James were preparing for something to happen.

John had tried to visit Sirius. He headed to the Auror department, only to be told that Sirius had owled in that he was sick. A visit to Sirius' flat proved fruitless as Sirius was nowhere to be found.

In fact, it looked like the place hadn't been used that day - a card with Remus' name on it was still propped up against a vase on the dining table.

If the pair had fallen out, surely Sirius would have removed those.

Not to mention the star pendant Remus was wearing. Where was the family pendant Remus had always worn? John would have bet that it was a mutual exchange of pendants.

Nothing added up. All John knew was that Sirius had disappeared and his son was about to marry Peter, and clearly didn't want to.

He hoped whatever James and Remus seemed to be sharing looks over, worked.

Otherwise something bad might happen to Peter before he bonded with Remus that evening… because there was no way Peter was going to be it for Remus. Especially not when Sirius Black was perfect for Remus.

**...oOo…**

Remus and Peter stood facing each other in front of the Cleric. The ceremony had gone by too slow, and both were eager for the Bonding - for their completely different reasons.

Peter wanted this over and done with, the vows allowing him to control Remus by pureblood law. Remus wanted to get to the bonding because that meant that someone was going to free Sirius.

It was the only thought that stopped Remus reaching for Peter and ripping him apart… though he would use that as his backup plan in case they couldn't get Sirius out.

His gaze moved to James who was sitting at the front of the church with his parents and Lily. The Longbottoms were behind and a few of his family members sat in the other rows.

James gave him a slight nod, and Lily looked between the pair suspiciously. He almost smiled as he saw James check a small mirror. He didn't turn his gaze back to Peter until Peter let out a small cough. It was only then that he realised it was time to start the bonding.

Hopefully this plan worked.

**...oOo…**

Sirius' body was on fire. He knew that Remus had agreed that for Sirius' safety and freedom, he was offering his own.

He also knew that Remus would tell them they couldn't hurt him, but that didn't stop them. Three Death Eaters with wands would always find it easy to overpower one Wizard without a wand. A few nasty curses shot his way... well, it could have been worse.

At least Lucius Malfoy had tired of it quickly and told the others that was enough, otherwise they might still have been torturing him.

If he had his wand, he was confident that he could take all three of them, but there was time for revenge later. Right now, Remus was in the middle of a wedding ceremony and this would be Sirius' only chance to escape.

He fiddled with the lock, hoping to unlock it the Muggle way with a bit of wire. He had been trying since the Death Eaters left, casting only the most simple of locking charms to keep him in the room.

He had also tried wandless magic to get out, but the agony overtaking his body made him struggle to use his magic without his wand.

Finally he heard footsteps. Hiding the wire, he returned to his seat and waited.

He didn't expect to see Alastair Moody and Kingsley Shaklebolt standing in the doorway.

"Well come on, you have a wedding to crash," Kingsley told him, holding a hand out to help Sirius up.

**...oOo…**

Remus held out his hands as the Cleric instructed him to. Anger flowed through his body as Peter reached out and took his hands in his own. Remus had hoped that at the last minute, Peter would realise exactly what he was forcing Remus into and have a change of heart.

But that clearly wasn't going to happen.

"Quia omnis conjunctio aeternitatis," the Cleric said, placing his hand on the joined hands of Peter and Remus. The spell caused a ribbon of magic to shoot out of each man, slowly winding down their arms until reaching their hands.

Once the magic got to their joined hands, it disappeared, only for another ribbon to appear and repeat the same as the first.

Remus forced his magic to hold the spell, to keep the magic ribbons coming over and over. He knew it would drain him, but he didn't care. As long as Sirius was back safely.

Seconds turned into minutes and Remus felt his energy draining fast. Peter's expectant expression began to disappear and he was just staring accusingly at Remus.

Finally Remus had no energy to hold the spell any longer and he let go.

The ribbons faded.

"Is that it?" Hope asked, bitterly. "Is our son bonded to _him_?"

"It failed," Remus heard his father whisper in reply.

"What did you do?" Peter shouted at Remus accusingly. He pulled his hand away from Remus' and glared at him.

Remus met his gaze challengingly and smirked. He knew exactly why the bonding had failed.

"Me," came a voice at the other side of the church. Every set of eyes moved around to see who had spoken.

Sirius stood at the doors with a smirk on his face.

**...oOo…**

Remus' gaze moved to his family, who looked very relieved at the appearance of Sirius. James was already withdrawing his wand, and Remus' hand hovered near his own just in case it was needed.

He knew it wasn't over yet.

"Alright love?" Sirius called as he approached, wand outstretched. Peter had pulled his own wand the moment Sirius had shown up and Remus was ready - ready to hurt Peter should he hurt Sirius.

"He's mine," Peter snarled at the approaching wizard.

"Funny! I thought blackmailing someone into marrying you doesn't make them yours - especially if you have to go and kidnap their boyfriend first." He pulled his t-shirt aside and bared his neck. "Now this… this mark on my neck, that's what shows that he's mine. I'm his mate."

"He marked you?" Peter hissed.

"He did, so that makes him mine," Sirius replied.

Remus cast a shield over Sirius just in time as Peter threw a hex Sirius' way. Sirius shot Remus a look of gratitude and it was only a moment before they found themselves side by side.

Remus glanced around, seeing James and Lily with the Lupins, their wands all drawn. Confident that James and his dad would be able to defend his mum and Lily, he looked around, spotting one of Peter's friends approaching. He turned and shot a stunning spell his way, but hit the man's shield.

Exhaustion quickly overtook Remus as he dualled, but Remus managed to beat Peter's friend by disarming him and binding him. He tucked the extra wand into his pocket and spun around, ready to help Sirius with Peter.

He was shoulder to shoulder with Sirius again when the Crucio was sent their way. Just as the unforgivable was about to hit Sirius, Remus shoved him out of the way, falling to his knees in agony as the spell took him instead.

It was only a short moment that the curse was on him, but his body ached and his skin was burning. In the moment that Peter was distracted by him, Sirius had launched himself at Peter and was physically fighting him on the floor.

Remus looked past the pair and saw someone raising their wand in his direction. Exhausted and in pain, Remus pulled up a shield around himself, draining the last of his energy.

**...oOo...**

"Rennervate," a voice said by his ear and Remus slowly opened his eyes.

"What spell was it? Where are you hurt?" Sirius asked, trying to examine Remus.

"None," Remus muttered, allowing arms to wrap around him and gently pull him from the floor.

"James, get an emergency Portkey for St. Mungo's -" Sirius began.

"They won't treat me there," Remus whispered. "Werewolf… it's only exhaustion after holding that spell and the shields and the duel. I'll be fine."

"Get him home and let him have a sleep," Hope said. "Once he wakes up, we'll all go for Sunday dinner."

"Okay, Moody, can we have a Portkey to get him home. He's in no fit state to Apparate."

"Got something I can use?" A gruff voice asked.

"His tie," Sirius replied. "We'll be burning this suit once we get back anyway." Hands reached to remove his tie and a minute later it was wrapped around Remus' hand.

Remus clung tightly to Sirius as the Portkey brought them home.

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><p><strong>Review Please :)<strong>

**I'm sorry this has taken so long, though the next chapters should be up fairly quickly.**

**As you all may have been able to tell, this story is almost at an end. Maybe 2 or 3 chapters left.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks to Firefly for betaing this for me.**

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><p>Remus clung to Sirius harder, off balance by the portkey landing them into his garden, and Sirius returned the tight grip. After a moment, when he felt that Remus was slightly steadier, he guided Remus inside the house. Sirius held him steady as Remus kicked off his shoes by the door before they headed upstairs.<p>

Remus sat down as Sirius sorted through the drawers, searching for things for them both to change into.

"I'll help you change and then you can have a sleep," Sirius began "I'm going to go home and take a shower, and then I'll come back and -"

"No, I can go with you," Remus said, trying to unsteadily get to his feet.

"You can't. Okay, how about I shower here?" Sirius offered, knowing that Remus didn't want him out of his sight. "Once I've showered, I'll come in here and lay down with you?"

"Okay," Remus whispered, watching Sirius grab an extra pair of pyjama bottoms from the drawer. "But I can get changed myself."

Sirius' eyes moved down Remus' body for a second. "Can't blame me for wanting a reason to undress you," he replied, causing Remus to blush. "You'll get your chance," he replied, causing Sirius to smirk at him.

Sirius dropped one pair of bottoms and a t-shirt onto the bed, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Remus'. "I'll be as quick as possible. Do you need anything?" He asked, glad that Remus didn't want him to leave. He didn't want to let Remus out of his own sight either.

Remus shook his head and watched Sirius disappear out of the room. He sat on the bed listening carefully as the bathroom door shut and a minute later, he heard the shower start.

It was only a couple of minutes until James appeared, knocking on his door before walking into the room. "I went home and got some bits for Sirius," James started, dropping a bag down. "Lily said that you'd probably want to stay together. Want me to put them in the bathroom for him?"

Remus shook his head. "He took some of my pyjamas," he replied.

James took a seat on the end of the bed. "How are you doing?" he asked, concerned about Remus. He knew the spell would have drained through all Remus' magic and energy, leaving him exhausted. "Do you want to go to St. Mungos?"

Remus opened his mouth to state that he wouldn't be allowed in there.

"I can get someone here to check you over?" James added. "Madam Pomfrey - she tends to help out the order members and you're an order member. She won't have any problems coming here to look at you."

"I'm completely worn out, but I heal fast," Remus said. "All I need is sleep and to try not do too much magic and I'll be fine. I'm just relieved that it all worked and that Sirius is safe."

"Same here. So what happens now? Where are you guys going to live? Are you going to register this at the Ministry?" James asked.

"If Sirius wants to register it," Remus replied, glancing over at James. "We haven't had much of a chance to discuss this. As for living together… well, me and Sirius have a lot to talk about."

James stood up. "Well, I'll leave you to get changed. Your mum wants to check you both over before you go to sleep, she'll also be cooking dinner later for you, but she wants you to rest before you eat."

"Thanks, James," Remus replied. James smiled warmly at him and left the room, and Remus stood up and headed towards the bathroom where the water was still running.

He knocked on the door.

"Remus, is that you?" Sirius shouted. "You can come in."

Remus pushed the door open.

"I thought you'd be asleep?" Sirius continued, smiling around the shower curtain at him.

"Like I'd be able to sleep without you," Remus admitted. "Can I wait in here?"

"Of course," Sirius replied, disappearing behind the curtain again.

"Can I join you?" Remus asked, boldly.

Sirius' head appeared around the curtain and he stared at Remus, a wide smile on his face.

"Well, aren't you going to strip for me?" he asked after a long moment.

Remus grinned, pulling his dress robes off and flinging them into the floor. He pulled off the t-shirt that he had been wearing underneath and finally his boxers, finally stepping under the hot spray.

Sirius' fingers immediately went to the pendant around Remus' neck.

"I have yours in my room if you want it back," Remus said.

"Of course I want it back," Sirius replied. "It was awful waking up to find something so special to me missing. I did however have something else you gave me, which I could take comfort in."

"What was that?" Remus asked.

Sirius pulled his hair from off his shoulders, and Remus' eyes fell on the mating mark.

"Are you happy that we're mated? That -"

"Don't you dare even finish that sentence," Sirius said firmly. "I never want you to question this. I want to be with you, and I wanted you to mark me. I have no regrets at all."

Remus opened his mouth to reply, but Sirius covered Remus' lips with his own, pulling him further under the water spray.

Remus pulled away.

"You're my soulmate," Sirius whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," Remus said, unable to help the massive grin that covered his face. He reached for the body-wash and poured some onto his hands. His let his hands move across Sirius' body, rubbing the wash in, carefully examining Sirius for any injuries. There were a few cuts on his body, and quite a few bruises, which Remus looked at very carefully. His fingers continued exploring, checking for any places that hurt Sirius until he was satisfied that Sirius' body was fine.

"There was blood on your face and in your hair?" Remus asked.

"I tried to escape earlier," Sirius explained. "I hit the wall pretty hard… not to mention the few hexes. Nothing too serious though."

Remus moved behind Sirius, parting his wet hair, checking for injuries. There was a bad looking cut on Sirius' head, which still had some blood around it.

"It'll need healing," Remus said.

"It's stopped bleeding," Sirius pointed out.

"You might have a concussion," Remus replied.

"It happened this morning, I'll be fine." He turned to look at Remus and saw the concern on his face. "I'll get someone to check me over later?"

Remus took his flannel and gently began to wash the area, cleaning the blood away. Once he had finished, Sirius turned back around and took the body wash and let his hands gently move across Remus' body. Remus was nervous at Sirius' hands brushing over his scarred body, but didn't move to cover himself.

Mostly because Sirius seemed to be enjoying touching him - scars and all. Remus had visual evidence as to how much Sirius was enjoying their shower.

He also enjoyed the way Sirius looked at him. He never thought anyone would ever look at him in amazement and with such love.

Finally Sirius turned the shower off. "As much as I really want you right now, I think we need some rest," he said.

Remus nodded, reaching for his wand.

"Let me," Sirius insisted. "Using more magic will just make you even more tired." He picked up his wand and dried them both, before grabbing the pyjamas he had brought in with him and pulling them on, not caring that the t-shirt was too tight across his chest.

Remus bit his lip at the sight of Sirius wearing his pyjama bottoms. He grabbed his own and a t-shirt and pulled them on, leading Sirius downstairs and through the living room where everyone was chatting.

"Mum," he said, gesturing for her to follow. They headed into the kitchen and Remus got Sirius to sit down.

"Can you heal his head?" Remus asked, gently moving Sirius' hair aside.

Hope pulled out the medical kit from the cupboard.

"Does it hurt? Do you want a pain potion?" Hope asked, searching through the potions she had for the right one.

"Nothing a sleep won't fix," Sirius insisted.

She nodded. "Well, if you need it later, just let one of us know." Hope took some cotton out, pouring some of the Essence of Dittany onto it, before gently dabbing Sirius' head.

He let out a hiss at the contact, but stayed still.

"Anything else?" Hope asked. "Any dizziness or nausea?" She started to run through the checks she reserved for Remus after the full moon - not knowing if he had fractured any bones or hit his head too hard.

"No concussion," she confirmed. "No fractures, no internal injuries either. Apart from being a bit weak, you seem in good health. Now, dinner will be ready in a few hours, so I suggest you both head upstairs and get some sleep."

**...oOo...**

They quickly made their way to the bedroom and Remus watched Sirius pull the covers back and climb into the bed, resting on his side. He took in how comfortable Sirius looked laying there.

"What are you waiting for?" Sirius asked. "Come lay with me."

Remus grinned and quickly climbed into the bed next to Sirius. Sirius shifted closer and wrapped his arms around Remus, holding him as tightly as possible.

"So, since we're mated I think we need to discuss -" Remus began.

"Shhh," Sirius said with a soft smile. "Sleep first, talking about spending the rest of our lives together later."

"I was scared that I would never see you again," Remus whispered.

"I was scared too, but I had faith that you and James would do everything you could to find me," Sirius replied, trying to pull Remus even closer. Remus rested his head on Sirius' shoulder and hooked his leg around Sirius'.

"Of course I would," Remus whispered. "I wasn't even going to let James help, I was very unreasonable. I thought I could do it alone… I caught my mum looking up poisons that she could slip into Peter's drink."

"I'm so glad your mum likes me," Sirius whispered, smiling in amusement.

"I'm glad too," Remus replied, snuggling closer and closing his eyes.

**...oOo…**

It was a couple of hours before there was a knock on the door, stirring the pair from their sleep.

"Are you both decent?" Lily called through.

"Yeah," Remus said, not wanting to move out of Sirius' arms.

Lily opened the door, looking at the two men.

"You bonded and you didn't tell me," she said, glaring at Remus.

"We were going to tell you and James straight away, but it didn't feel right telling you without Sirius with me," Remus explained. "I didn't know if anyone was a good Legilimens and didn't want to risk them seeing into your mind."

"I can keep my mind clear, I can keep things hidden -" Lily started.

"And then they would have known you were hiding something," Remus replied, getting off the bed. "I didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. They couldn't read my mind because of my Lycanthropy and I had already gotten Sirius taken away, I couldn't let them take you too."

Lily stared at him for a moment, before moving forward and wrapping her arms around him tightly. Remus hugged her back.

"You're an idiot," she muttered fondly. "Mum's waiting for you both, she's just about to serve dinner up."

Sirius climbed out of the bed and stretched, distracting Remus as his gaze fell on the strip on stomach revealed. Remus couldn't help but lick his lips at the sight. It didn't matter that he had seen Sirius naked in the shower; that bit of skin was so tempting.

"No," Lily scolded. "Wait until you go to bed tonight for any funny business. If you don't come down now, it'll be mum coming up next and you don't want her to see you snogging or fucking, do you?"

Remus sighed and stepped away from Sirius, "Fine," he replied. Sirius smiled at him on the way past out of the room and he followed the pair, closing the door behind him and enjoying the sight of Sirius' arse in his own pyjama bottoms.

He was certain Sirius was wiggling it slightly more than usual, and he tried to calm the wolf that was insistent that it wanted to sink it's teeth into his arse.

There was hopefully time for that soon.

He followed the pair into the dining room and slipped into his usual seat just as his mother was putting the plates on the table.

"Thanks, Hope," Sirius and James both said. Sirius ate fast, having had nothing to eat since his date with Remus. He finished a lot quicker than the others, and Hope quickly filled his plate again.

Once everyone had finished, Hope flicked her wand and the plates flew into the kitchen.

"Now, I think it's a good time for you to fill us in on exactly what's been happening," John said, his gaze falling on Remus. "We're your family, and we were left in the dark about what was happening."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Remus replied. "It started when I realised that I didn't want to be with Peter. Not because I wanted Sirius instead… well, I did - do want Sirius, but that wasn't the point. I didn't want to be with Peter anymore, and I went to his shop and told him. I was going to tell Sirius in the pub when he texted me, but then you lot held the stag do and there wasn't a right time to tell you."

He glanced at Sirius.

"Peter called me, blaming me for stealing Remus away - and for Remus leaving him. Once I realised that Remus had left Peter, I decided that I wasn't going to waste time, I was going to tell him how I felt…. which I did. We went back to mine and then headed out for something to eat."

""And after our date we went back to Sirius' and… I ended up marking him."

Sirius took Remus' hand.

"And why didn't you tell any of us the plan?" John asked, his eyes darting between the pair.

"Because if any of the Death Eaters read your minds, better for them to read your confusion and know that you have no idea what's going on - If you didn't have any confusion or anything, they'd know something was up. I wasn't even going to tell James, but I needed his help."

"And what is going to happen between you and Sirius?" Hope asked.

"Well, we'd need to formally register this at the Ministry," Remus said. "We have a lot to discuss of course…"

"We do," Sirius agreed, taking Remus' hand and exploring it with his own hands. He smiled softly at Remus.

"Do you want to stay here with me tonight?" Remus asked. "We can talk this evening?"

"I'd love to stay," Sirius said.

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><p><strong>Review Please :D<strong>

**There are 2 or 3 chapters left. I'm confident that this story will be finished this month, then I'll be getting on with another MC :)**

**I will also be doing a flashback of their date - the night when Sirius was marked!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Two Chapters left**

**This is a flashback**

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><p>"So, anywhere you want to go for dinner, or should I make it a surprise?" Sirius asked, as they left the flat and started walking to the apparation point.<p>

Remus took a moment to think, his fingers tightening in Sirius' light grip. "I'll leave it to you to decide," he replied. "I don't mind where we eat, all that matters to me is the company."

Sirius grinned. "I want our first date to be perfect," he said. "I want you to have an amazing time out with me. I want to make you happy."

"We could sit on the sofa and just watch television and I'd be happy," Remus replied. "_You_ are what makes me happy, Sirius."

**...oOo…**

Remus looked around the restaurant. Sirius had taken him out in muggle London, finding a cosy looking Italian restaurant.

There were no cries of: 'we don't allow creatures like him in here' or stares as they walked in, hand in hand. Instead they were politely seated at a table that offered them privacy, a candle lighting the space between them and their hands meeting in the middle of the table.

Sirius ordered a couple of beers and they looked through the menus that were given to them.

"What are you getting?" Sirius asked when he caught Remus watching him.

"Pollo Formaggi al Forno sounds nice," Remus said, his eyes moving back to the menu, flicking over the options again.

"Where's that?" Sirius asked. Remus leaned over, pointing to it.

"That does sound good," Sirius agreed. He placed the menu down and reached for Remus' hand again. They quickly ordered the food.

"So...are you having fun?" Sirius asked suddenly, causing Remus to smile. He could hear how nervous Sirius was and squeezed his hand.

"We could be sitting on a park bench eating chips and it'd be perfect because it's with you," Remus assured him.

"Well, I want to be able to do this with you - take you out to nice places for dinner sometimes, hold you hand in public - I know we can do that in the Wizarding world, but I like that we're just Remus and Sirius here."

"I like that too," Remus replied. "No-one looking at me in suspicion because of what I am."

"No-one talking about me because of who my original family are," Sirius said. "I like that to them, we're ordinary."

"I do too," Remus whispered, smiling.

"But I'll take you out to nice places in Diagon Alley and -"

"And I'd be happier sitting down in the Three Broomsticks for food," Remus replied. "I'm not looking or you to spoil me, I'd much rather go somewhere we can be comfortable and be ourselves."

"Whatever you want," Sirius insisted.

"Well, if we're dating... we are, right?"

"We're dating," Sirius said quickly. "You're my boyfriend, and one day you'll be my mate."

"Your mate?" Remus murmured, smiling even wider at the thought. "Well, since we're boyfriends, it's not just what I want - it's what you want too. I want you to be happy as well."

"I could say the same as you did about the park bench and chips, but it won't sound as romantic a second time," Sirius said. "Remus, I'm crazy about you. All I want is you. I don't care where I take you, if you are happy, I'm happy."

They heard a faint awww, and turned their heads to look at the waitress holding their plates. She placed them down on the table and smiled at the pair.

"It's our first date," Sirius said, grinning.

"I hope it's going well," the girl replied.

"It is, thank you," Sirius replied. He turned back to Remus as the girl walked away, finally letting go of his hands.

"The food looks good," Remus said, reaching for his knife and fork.

**...oOo...**

Remus tried to decline desert, but Sirius had seen how much chocolate was on the desert menu. He knew that Remus was concerned more about the bill, but Sirius was determined that the date would be perfect.

Instead he ordered a large chocolate sundae to share.

Once it was on the table, he chuckled at the sight of Remus' eyes lighting up. He pulled his chair around the table, so they were nearer each other and put one of the spoons out of the way, taking the other spoon in his hand.

He scooped up some of the chocolate, and brought it to his lips, pulling the chocolate from the spoon. He watched Remus lick his lips and put the spoon back. Adding more chocolate and ice-cream, he brought the spoon to Remus' lips, his eyes locking onto the sight on Remus' lips wrapping around the spoon.

The pleasure on Remus' face was too much for Sirius, he tried to hold back the low moan.

Remus' eyes snapped open, taking in the expression on his face. Curiosity quickly became understanding, and Sirius reached for the ice-cream again, taking a deep breath as he brought it to Remus' lips, his eyes darting between Remus' eyes and lips.

This time Remus kept his eyes open, watching the look of desire cross Sirius' face as his lips wrapped around the spoon for a second time.

He took the spoon from Sirius, and brought some ice-cream to his lips, easily understanding the effect it was having on Sirius to watch.

"Where do you want to go after this?" Sirius asked.

"We should go back to yours," Remus whispered.

"Are you sure - first dates are normally dinner and a movie and I want you to -"

"This isn't a typical first date," Remus muttered. "We can go to the movie next time, I'd really like to get you alone."

Sirius licked his lips. He quickly pushed back his chair, heading for the counter.

"Can I have the bill please?" He asked. A moment later he slipped into the seat, taking Remus' hand in his own and it wasn't long before the bill was brought over.

Sirius navigated muggle money easier than Remus had expected, he winked at the waitress before taking Remus' hand and leading the way out.

**...oOo...**

His arm slid around Remus' waist, drawing him close as the pair walked to the apparation point. He tried not to rush them, but he was desperate to get Remus home, knowing he would be able to touch him, kiss him, hold him.

Anticipation flowed through him. How far would Remus let him go tonight? Sirius was more than ready to give Remus everything, to lay Remus down in his bed and touch Remus as he had never been touched before. To allow Remus to possess him, bite him and mark him.

Sirius couldn't wait until he was Remus' mate - if Remus wanted him that was. He was more sure than anything that this was forever, so why wait to be claimed?

His heart belonged to Remus; as did his soul - after all, Sirius knew Remus was his soulmate. The only things left to offer Remus were his body and his future. Two things that he was more than willing to give to Remus.

He pulled Remus into a kiss, holding him closely and apparating them near his flat. He could feel Remus' anticipation too and wondered what Remus wanted.

Hopefully what he wanted was his mark sitting proudly on Sirius' neck for the world to see.

Sirius wasn't sure which of them set the speed - possibly they were both rushing, but they made it back to the flat quickly, pushing the door open, kicking it shut behind them.

Sirius shrugged the jacket from his shoulders, tossing it onto the sofa, before taking the jacket from Remus, running his hands down Remus' arms. Throwing his jacket also, he took Remus' hands and led him to the sofa, pulling Remus onto his lap.

"Before this happens, we should talk," Sirius replied.

Remus' lips brushed against his for a moment before he leaned back to listen to what Sirius had to say.

"Right now, anything could happen between us," Sirius started. "I think we both need to know what to expect."

"All right," Remus replied. "What are you expecting?" he smiled at Sirius warmly, his eyes darting down to Sirius' lips.

Sirius shook his head. "No, it's about you, Remus. I've had sex before, but once we have sex, we're mates. I've thought about it, and there are three ways this could go."

"Okay," Remus said.

"Our first option is we stick to kissing. We go into my bedroom, we kiss and keep touches innocent and fall asleep together. Once we're married, we can become mates... or we could just take this really slow - your call."

"I like the sound of that," Remus said, his lips finding Sirius'.

"Our second option is we go further than kissing but don't have sex. I don't mean rushing it right now, I mean throughout our relationship until you decide to mark me or we get married - whichever comes first."

"Further?" Remus asked.

"Touching each other, showering together. Oral sex," Sirius explained, his voice husky. "Dirty games, dressing up... everything except sex... but there isn't any rush for that."

Remus look a long moment to think through the list that Sirius had just offered him. How could he even think of saying no to that?

Simple - he wouldn't.

"I like the sound of that too," he said, blushing. "What's option three?"

Sirius took a deep breath and pulled Remus around so the other man was straddling him. It wasn't about the position, it was about the fact that he got to look into Remus' eyes. He took Remus' hands in his own.

"Option three is where I tell you that I've been in love with you since the moment I first saw you. That it's only intensified over this short time and that I know I want to spend my life with you. Option three is us going into that bedroom, doing everything we want to each other, and ending with your mark on my neck, both of us with sore bodies, and curled up in each other's arms."

"Doing whatever we want?" Remus repeated, biting his lip.

A quick flip had Sirius' body covering Remus' on the sofa.

"Anything you can think of," Sirius said, pressing against Remus eagerly.

"And you said... you said marking," Remus whispered, very aware of Sirius' body.

"I want you to," Sirius said. "Now, we're going into the bedroom and it's upto you. If you just want to kiss until we're married, than I'm happy to do that - but if you want to mark me tonight... anything you want."

He stood up and Remus climbed up, taking his hand and led him to the bedroom. Something told Sirius that Remus wasn't looking for option one.

**...oOo...**

**M-RATED**

**...oOo...**

The bedroom door shut behind them, and Sirius felt Remus' weight on him as he was slammed against the door, lips desperately moving against his.

"Do you know how good you'll look with my mark on your body," Remus said, his lips moving down to Sirius' neck and biting down. It wasn't a mating mark, but Remus thought it looked beautiful. He couldn't wait to leave something permanent there - as long as Sirius was sure about it of course.

"Did you -" Sirius began, a smile spreading across his face.

"Not yet," Remus replied. "You'll know when I've marked you."

"Oh," Sirius replied, disappointment evident in his voice.

"You really want this," Remus said, moving away slightly and examining Sirius.

"I love you," Sirius said. "Of course I want this. I would have let you mark me that first night if it were possible."

"I love you too," Remus said, his eyes moving to the bed. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he wanted Sirius as his mate - that he wanted to start their future together.

His fingers moved to the bottom of Sirius' t-shirt and he slowly dragging it up Sirius' body. He allowed his hands to caress their way up Sirius' chest as he drew the t-shirt higher. Finally it was pulled over Sirius' head, and Remus' gaze fell on his perfectly muscled chest.

He leaned down and ran his tongue over Sirius' abs, before blushing and meeting his gaze.

"I had to," Remus explained.

"My turn," Sirius said, pushing Remus back towards the bed. As Remus' legs hit the bed, Sirius pulled his top over his head quickly, ignoring the panicked look on Remus' face. He knew exactly what Remus was panicking about and wanted to show Remus that some scars weren't going to put him off.

He leaned down, letting his tongue find one of the scars and he slowly traced it.

"Fuck," Remus hissed.

"Oh, this is nothing," Sirius murmured. "Get on the bed."

Remus dropped down onto the bed and scooted backwards, looking as though he was going to cover his scarred chest. Sirius followed him, trying to distract him. As Remus reached the top of the bed, Sirius was on top of him, his lips trailing over Remus' chest, tracing the scars. He managed to follow one that led down to Remus' hip, and reached for the button on Remus' jeans.

Remus' hands moved towards the front of Sirius' jeans too, pulling the button open, before Sirius scooted down the bed, his lips caressing the skin around Remus' hips.

He slowly eased the trousers down Remus' hips and quickly tasted the revealed skin, nibbling on Remus' hip, leading a trail to his stomach.

Remus let out a gasp as teeth gently grabbed the top of his underwear, tugging it down and devilish grey eyes met his. He knew Sirius would be smirking if his mouth wasn't full and Remus' head was quickly filled with the realisation that Sirius' mouth would be full for a while.

He wasn't sure what to do. He was torn between letting Sirius do whatever he wanted to him, or pulling Sirius up the bed and touching him instead.

Sirius made the decision for him, shamelessly pulling Remus' trousers and boxers down his legs, discarding them on the floor, and in one quick movement, he had moved up the bed and let his tongue drag up Remus' length.

Remus' first instinct was to push his hips up, pushing his erection back towards Sirius' mouth, but hands were firmly holding his hips. He watched in awe as Sirius leaned back down, opening his mouth and taking the leaking swollen tip.

Remus was determined that his eyes would stay open and he would enjoy every second of being in Sirius' mouth. He watched in amazement as little by little, his length disappeared, before Sirius pulled away again, only keeping the tip.

Once again, his length disappeared and Remus let out a groan at the sight of Sirius eagerly taking it. With each movement out, Sirius' lips tightened and he pushed his tongue against it, hard.

He had been missing out all these years. This was easily the most amazing thing he had ever experianced. He wondered how often Sirius could be convinced to do this to him.

His eyes shot open as he felt Sirius move away. He didn't even realise he had closed them.

"Choice two or choice three?" Sirius asked, his voice husky.

"What?" Remus muttered, mourning the loss of Sirius' amazing mouth.

"Choice two is everything without sex and mating, and choice three is me becoming your mate. You haven't told me how far you want to go, and I don't want to push you further than you're willing," Sirius explained.

Remus smirked, sitting up and kissing Sirius, not caring in the slightest where Sirius' mouth had just been. Wrapping a leg around Sirius, he flipped them over, enjoying the surprised look on Sirius' face at their sudden change in position.

"Do you really think you're leaving this room without wearing my mark on your neck?" Remus growled, his fingers moving over Sirius' chest, examining it. He shivered as warm fingers slowly caressed his own.

"So, what should I expect from this?" Remus asked.

"The first time can be a bit awkward," Sirius said. "We should start with the stretching."

Remus nodded. "Do you have lube or anything?"

Sirius' gaze moved to the bedside table and Remus' followed. Remus leaned over, pulled it open and grabbed the lube and a condom.

"You can put that back, we're going to be mates," Sirius pointed out. "Me and you forever. We don't need that."

Remus dropped the condom onto the bedside table. He handed the lube to Sirius. "Do you want me to lay down, or..." He trailed off, uncertainly.

"Why would I want you to do that?" Sirius asked. "We're not doing this how... how things would have happened with someone else. You're in charge here. You are taking me as your mate, so we're doing this how it's supposed to be done."

"But -"

"And I've only ever bottomed once - my first time," Sirius told him.

"Are you comfortable for me to do this?" Remus checked, excited at the thought of being on top. He had assumed that Sirius liked to be in control. He loved Sirius even more at that moment - the way he accepted what Remus was, and the way Remus needed to do this.

"I want it," Sirius said. "Do you want to prepare me this time?"

Remus stared at him in shock, not knowing what to reply. How on earth was he supposed to prepare Sirius? Where would he start. He wanted to ask Sirius how, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Well, I can prepare myself," Sirius said, squeezing some lube onto his fingers and rubbing them together. Remus' breath caught as Sirius' arm went underneath him, a finger circling his hole.

Remus wanted to tell him to stop. Wanted to push Sirius' hand away and take over, but before he could do, a finger disappeared inside his boyfriend and Remus could only watch in silence, his eyes filled with lust as the finger reappeared, before sliding back inside.

His eyes flicked up to Sirius' grey eyes and narrowed. Sirius was doing this on purpose to tease Remus, but Remus didn't care. Sirius was his - he could do whatever he wanted to Sirius.

As though he wanted to prove this, Remus reached out and his fingers wrapped around Sirius' hard erection. He began to move his hand in time with Sirius' stretching himself, wondering what it would feel like to slide Sirius' hardness between his lips.

His eyes moved down to Sirius' fingers again, and he groaned as he realised that Sirius had moved up to three.

"I'm ready," Sirius panted, slowly withdrawing them. "How do you want me?"

"What do you mean?" Remus whispered, not able to take his eyes off where Sirius was spread open wide for him.

"Like this? On my knees? Over the bed -"

"This," Remus told him. "This is perfect." He didn't want Sirius to move into one of the other positions. How was he suppose to see him if Sirius had his back to him?

He shuffled a bit closer on his knees, and guided himself towards Sirius, watching for any glimpse of hesitation.

His erection found it's target, and Remus resisted pushing in.

"This won't end until I mark you," he said. A last warning that they would become mates.

"I understand," Sirius murmured. "Love you, Remus."

"Love you too," Remus said, gently pushing his hips forward.

He heard the hitch in Sirius' breathing. Feet hooked behind him, trying to pull him in faster, but he kept the movement slow - not just for Sirius' sake - until he was fully sheathed inside Sirius.

He took a moment to collect his jumbled thoughts and calm his pounding heart. He was inside of Sirius. He was losing his virginity to Sirius Black. He was going to mark him - going to make sure the world knew that Sirius was his!

"Just pull out, not all the way, and push back in again," Sirius said, jolting Remus out of his thoughts. Remus gave a slight nod before doing what Sirius told him. The tightness grasping him made him ignore Sirius' whispers that he could go faster.

How could he go faster? Sirius was lucky Remus hadn't exploded already.

He began moving, leaning down to graze Sirius' lips with his own as Sirius' body moved against his. Sirius' hand gripped his hips, the other moving up to Remus' neck, pulling Remus' head back down to his, stopping Remus from moving too far away.

The pair fell into a rhythm, their bodies moving slowly together at first, before becoming more urgent. Remus' hand stroked against Sirius fast, and he felt all too soon that he couldn't contain himself any longer.

He quickly realised it wasn't just him as Sirius was squeezing tight around him, his body arching from the bed, before he came over Remus' hand.

Remus felt himself let go, before he could even think about what he was doing, Sirius was tilting his head and eagerly offering his neck and Remus closed the distance, biting down hard, marking Sirius as his mate.

**...oOo...**

The two fell onto the bed next to each other, Sirius pressing kiss after kiss onto Remus' lips.

"You're my mate," Remus whispered in between each kiss and Sirius grinned widely.

"I know," he said. "So... what happens next?"

"Well, right now we sleep. Tomorrow we start the rest of our lives together."

"I like that sound of that," Remus said. "Should we shower first?"

Sirius grinned.

"Of course," he said, climbing off the bed and throwing some cleaning charms on it. He grabbed Remus' hand, pulling him towards the bathroom.

"I have to work in the morning, but maybe I could take a few days off..." Sirius said, stopping in front of the shower.

"I' like that," Remus admitted.

"So, the rest of our lives. Sounds like we're married, and I don't even have a ring for you," Sirius said, pouting slightly. His hand moved to his neck. "Hold on." He slipped the star necklace over his head, and brought it over Remus'.

"This is for you," he said.

Remus silently removed the pendant he only took off during the full moon and placing it around Sirius' neck.

"After work, we'll tell everyone together?" Sirius suggested.

Remus nodded his head, pulling the shower curtain back.

"Don't tell them without me," Sirius begged. "I want to see how happy they are. I won't tell James either, until we're all together."

"Make sure to cover that mark up," Remus replied.

Sirius looked at it in the mirror. "But I want everyone -"

"James might work it out," Remus explained.

Sirius nodded. "I love you," he murmured, leaning in for a kiss before stepping into the shower.

"I love you too," Remus replied, following him in. He was determined to find out what it was like to take Sirius in his mouth and as he dropped to his knees under the water spray, Sirius looked like he was just as eager to find out.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, I think my smut has gotten worse! (Sorry about that).<strong>

**Review please.**

**One more chapter after this and then I'll be updating a different story. Thanks to everyone who is reading this story!**


	25. Chapter 25

**The Last Chapter**

* * *

><p>Sirius found it hard to keep his hands to himself around Remus. He wasn't planning on pawing at him with his parents in the room.<p>

He couldn't wait to get him to bed again.

He cuddled into Remus' arms on the sofa as they watched a movie. He smiled at James, who had an arm around Lily's shoulders and smiled back at Hope who was smiling at the four of them.

Finally James got up and kissed Lily goodbye. With a promise to catch up with Sirius the next day, he disappeared in the floo.

Sirius took one of Remus' hands in his own, running his fingers over it and exploring it.

"I love you," Remus whispered.

"I love you too," Sirius replied, grinning widely at him.

"You ready to talk?" Remus asked and Sirius nodded his head.

"So, do we live together?" Remus asked.

"Of course - if you're comfortable with that," Sirius replied.

"Where do we live?"

Sirius contemplated the answer. "It's upto you - if you don't want to live in our flat, me and you can go and look for one ourselves?"

"I don't mind living there with James there," Remus said. "If he doesn't mind me moving in?"

"Course he doesn't," Sirius replied.

"Plus, Lily will be there a lot."

"And we can floo here whenever we want," Sirius said.

Remus nodded, watching Sirius' fingers caressing his hand.

"And do you want to get a joint vault?" Sirius suggested.

"How would that work?" Remus asked.

"Well, me and James share a vault for bills. We just put a percentage of our wages in each month and it covers everything for the flat - food, repairs... everything. So that way our own personal vaults are spare money - spending money. If me and you were to share, we'd just be able to take what we needed and when we needed."

"I can contribute to the rent and stuff," Remus offered. "I don't mind a shared vault, but I won't have a lot to put in there."

"It's not about who adds what to the vault," Sirius replied, leaning in the gently place a kiss on Remus' cheek. "All that matters is that it's ours. I mean, I have money left over from what my Uncle gave... and what's mine is yours, so if you need it for anything, don't even feel the need to ask - it's ours now, not just mine."

Remus gave a hesitant nod. He wasn't interested in Sirius' money at all, but it was nice compared to how Peter reacted. He had his own money.

Sirius turned back towards the television, snuggling against Remus' chest.

"Did I tell you that I love you?" Sirius asked.

"You did, but I'll never get bored of hearing it," Remus replied. He took his hand from Sirius' grip and wrapped it around his mate, holding him tightly.

"Do we have anything else to talk about?" Sirius asked.

"Sundays my parents like me to be here for dinner," Remus murmured. "That goes for you too... if you want."

"Then we'll spend every Sunday here," Sirius agreed. "Well, sometimes I have to work on Sundays, but I'll do my best to be here on Sundays."

John got up to make drinks and Sirius got up, offering to help.

He started pulling cups out for all of them and looked at John for direction.

"Hot Chocolate is in the cupboard by the sink," John said.

Sirius nodded, grabbing it out. He read the instructions and began to heap the powder into both his and Remus' mugs.

"I just wanted to apologise," Sirius blurted out.

John looked at Sirius in confusion. "What for?"

"Mating with Remus."

John put the spoon down, turning his full attention to Sirius. "Was it a mistake?" He asked warily.

"No," Sirius quickly said. "Mating is like a marriage bond and I should have asked for yours and Hope's blessing before that happening with Remus."

"So you don't regret it?" John asked.

"Not in the slightest," Sirius replied, smiling. "I love Remus and want to be with him. I just planned this differently. I thought I'd get your permission first."

John smiled at him. "You and Remus have had our blessing for a while now," he explained. "It's nice to see Remus happy."

"And I'll make him as happy as I can," Sirius promised. He grabbed the two mugs and left the room, taking his seat next to Remus and pressing a hot-chocolate into his hands. He looked at the smile on Remus' face.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

Remus nodded. "You are so cute," he said.

"I do what I can," Sirius replied, snuggling as close to Remus as he could, letting out a soft sigh as Remus leaned down, pulled the neck of the t-shirt to the side and softly kissed the mark he had left on Sirius.

**...oOo...**

"Do you want to go to bed now?"

Sirius grinned at him, and climbed off the sofa, Remus following. He walked over and hugged Hope, wishing her a goodnight, followed by Lily. He smiled at John before he headed upstairs with his mate.

"Silencing charms," Lily shouted as they left the room. A blushing Remus turned back to glare at her as Sirius just chuckled on his way up the stairs.

As Sirius pushed the door shut behind them, his wand came out and he set the silencing and locking charms on the door.

"Don't want your parents to hear us," he murmured, closing the distance between them, his lips finding Remus' and his hands desperately pulling at Remus' clothes.

**...oOo...**

"So, you've finally left the bedroom?" James asked as the pair sat down for some of the takeaway that James and Lily ordered.

Sirius' gaze shifted to Remus who smiled guiltily.

"I've not seen you for three days."

"Remus is insatiable," Sirius said, his hand sliding down onto Remus' arse.

"Uh huh," James said, narrowing his eyes. "Remus... you know, I'd almost believe you if I didn't know you, Sirius."

"You can't blame me," Sirius replied. "Do you know how hard it is to keep my hands off him? All I have to do is look at Remus and I get hard -"

"And that's enough of this conversation," James muttered. "Come on, we're going to put a movie on. Lily's picking one now. Can you keep your hands off Remus long enough to eat and watch a movie?" He turned towards the tv and Sirius grinned at Remus before grabbing a couple of plates from the table. The pair began to spoon some food onto their plates and settled back on the sofa.

"So, are you coming to dinner on Sunday?" Lily asked James. James nodded his head.

**...oOo...**

"We need you to go back in with the Werewolves," Dumbledore said.

Sirius looked around from where he had been whispering with James at the meeting. Due to some of the group now knowing that Remus was part of the order, he had agreed to go to one of the meetings rather than meeting with Dumbledore in private.

This was his first order meeting, and Sirius wasn't going to allow Dumbledore send him on useless missions.

"I don't think that's productive," Remus replied.

"I'm afraid that it is," Dumbledore said. "There's a new pack moving through Wales. It's quite a small pack, but the more we can get on our side..."

"And my packs won't associate with a new pack," Remus argued. "They'll contact me if any new packs cause trouble."

""This one is headed by Greyback," Dumbledore replied. "If we can get his pack away from him, or even convince him to leave the country -"

"Wait... Greyback is the one that bit Remus, right?" Sirius interrupted, seeing Remus go pale at the name.

Albus' gaze shifted to Sirius. "That is correct," he said.

"Well, Remus isn't going," Sirius replied. "You're sending him to someone who tried to kill him."

"Well, Mr Black, this is Remus' choice," Dumbledore said.

"You're right. So me and Remus will discuss this and let you know," Sirius replied.

Dumbledore looked between them, and Sirius stared back at him, arms folded.

"Time is of the essence," Dumbledore began, his gaze fixing on Remus. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't think -"

"I have a solution. Why don't we all head out to the pack and take Greyback out?" James suggested. "I don't think there's hope for a man that waits outside a five year old's bedroom just before a transformation so he can go and kill a child."

"I second that," Sirius added.

The Longbottoms murmured their agreement.

"I mean, you've shown us the reports on him. He wants to kill and hurt. His goal is to turn as many people as possible. He doesn't care what families he tears apart. I suggest that we stop him," Sirius said, his hand resting on Remus'.

"I agree with Sirius," Remus replied. "There is no reasoning with him and he also would know that I'm the cause of the Werewolves working with the order. It's too dangerous for me to go. I would be much better use if I were with Sirius or working here."

"I have another mission, if you are willing to go undercover, Remus."

"I'll go with him," Sirius quickly jumped in.

"Sirius," Remus murmured.

"I can't help it," Sirius replied. "I just want to keep you safe."

Remus couldn't help but smile, ignoring a few stares around the room. "You're my mate after all." In a obvious motion, Sirius brushed his hair away from his neck and stretched his neck, showing the mark on his neck.

Dumbledore stared at the mark for a moment, before referring to his notes.

"Well that changes a lot," he said. "Full marking?"

Sirius nodded his head.

"So you need to keep each other safe. Remus, I have a mission I was going to send James and Sirius on. Would you go with them?"

Remus quickly nodded his head, glad that he had the chance to stay close to Sirius to protect him.

"What's the mission?" James asked.

**...oOo...**

"Do you know how long Sirius said he'd be?" Hope asked as the family sat around the dining table.

Remus shrugged. "He said he had to work until five," Remus replied. "He promised that him and James would be straight here afterwards."

"It's been almost an hour," Hope said. "John, can you go there and make sure they are okay? If they've been sent on an assignment and something -"

"I'd know if he was hurt," Remus interrupted.

Moments later they heard the floo, Sirius and James rushing in.

"Sorry we're late," Sirius said, leaning down to place a kiss on Remus' cheek. "There was a situation a couple of nights ago, that we were trying to resolve before we left."

"Is it anything serious?" Hope asked.

"Yes," James replied. "There were some attacks over the full moon, the Aurors are keeping it pretty quiet at the moment."

"Greyback?" John asked, his jaw clenching when the boys nodded.

"And a family were killed," Sirius continued. "Most of them."

"That's terrible," Hope said.

"All except for their little girl," James continued. "She survived with just a bite. But we've been trying to track down family, no-one wants to know."

"But we've not been able to turn her over to the Orphanage," Sirius said, his eyes boring into Remus'. "No-one would take her because of her condition."

Remus wasn't sure what Sirius was getting at.

"I looked into the laws, you're not allowed to adopt... but there's a loophole," Sirius explained. "That doesn't extend to children with Lycanthropy."

"You want us to adopt this little girl?" Remus asked, his eyes widening.

Sirius nodded. "I know it's only been a couple of years since we've been together, but I've met this girl. She's terrified, she doesn't understand what's going on."

"She loves Sirius though, he's really good with her," James interrupted. "She's been staying with Alice at night, and spending the days in the office. She's gotten really attached to Sirius."

"If you say no, then that's the choice made," Sirius said. "I won't push you into this... but I've done all the checks - if you wanted this - wanted to start a family, we're allowed to adopt."

"We are?" Remus murmured, trying to get it all straight in his head. He had imagined him and Sirius raising a child together, but had thought they'd have to pay someone to be a surrogate or something. He hadn't thought much about adoption before.

He hadn't thought it would happen for another couple of years at least.

Memories of his childhood came back to him - how scared he had been during his transformations and how terrifying dealing with what he had become. He had always appreciated that his parents took care of him.

This little girl had no-one.

"Yeah, let's do this," he agreed, smiling at his mate.

"It'd be nice for bumpie to have a friend," Sirius said, his eyes falling on Lily's bump. "A little cousin for peanut."

"So, you're really doing this? You're going to adopt?" Lily asked, looking between the pair as she ignored Sirius' names for her expanding stomach.

"Yeah," Remus said, smiling. "We can't leave her alone, a child shouldn't deal with a full moon without a family."

Hope and John smiled at him. "So when can we meet her?" they asked.

"The paperwork is on my desk, I just need Remus to sign it," Sirius replied. "I've got all our information ready and everything. If Remus wants to come and meet her tomorrow and sign the papers, she'll be ready to live with us by the weekend... maybe sooner - since there aren't really any facilities for children with Lycanthropy, and they'd hurry to place her. She'll be here for dinner next Sunday."

"What's her name?" Lily asked.

"Olivia, but she likes when I call her Livvy," Sirius replied. He took Remus' hand in his own. "Are you sure about this? Are you ready to be a parent?"

Remus leaned in to kiss his mate. "I am," he agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>So, this felt like a good place to leave the story. I am so sad to see this come to an end. It's been over a year since I started this story and I'm really going to miss it.<strong>

**I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.**

**Thanks to everyone who has favourited/followed or reviewed this story. :)**


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